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PICTURESQUE  ALASKA.  A  Jourual  ef  a  Tour 
among  the  Mountains,  Seas,  and  Islands  of  the 
Northwest,  frocn  San  Francisco  to  Sitka.  By  Abbv 
J.  Woodman.  With  Introduction  by  John  G. 
W'hittier,  Illustrations  and  Map.     i6mo,  $i.oo. 

ALASKA.  The  New  Eldorado.  A  Summer  Journey 
to  Alaska.  By  M  aturiw  M.  Baliou.  Crown  8vc, 
$1 .50L    Tovrisfs  Edition,  with  4  maps.    i6mo,  $1.00. 

HOUGHTON.   MIFFLIN   AND  COMPANY, 
BosTcN  AND  New  York- 


I5allou'0  aiajsM 


THE  NEW  ELDORADO 


A   SUMMER  JOURNEY  TO  ALASKA 


BY 


MATURIN   M.    BALLOU 


TOURIST'S  EDITION   WITH  MAPS 


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jfUitJti^uicBmrgj 

BOSTON    AND    NEW    YORK 
HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN   AND   COMPANY 


Copyright,  1889, 
Bt  MATURIN  M.  BAIXOU. 

All  rights  reserved. 


The  Rirersiife  Prei.',  Cnmhridge,  Mass.,  U.  S.  A. 
Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  U.  O.  Houghton  <&  CompMiy. 


PREFACE. 


The  Spaniards  of  old  had  a  proverb  signifying 
that  he  who  would  bring  home  the  wealth  of  the 
Indies  must  carry  the  wealth  of  the  Indies  with 
him.  If  we  would  benefit  by  travel  we  must  take 
with  us  an  ample  store  of  appreciative  intelli- 
gence. Nature,  like  lovely  womanhood,  only  re- 
veals herself  to  him  who  humbly  and  diligently 
seeks  her.  As  Sir  Richard  Steele  said  of  a  certain 
noble  lady :  "  To  love  her  is  a  liberal  education." 
Keen  observation  is  as  necessary  to  the  traveler 
who  would  improve  by  his  vocation  as  are  wings 
to  an  albatross.  The  trained  and  appreciative 
eye  is  like  the  object-glass  of  the  photographic 
machine,  nothing  is  so  seemingly  insignificant  as 
to  escape  it.  Careless,  half-educated  persons  are 
sent  upon  their  travels  in  order,  it  is  said,  that 
they  may  *'  learn."  Such  individuals  had  best 
first  learn  to  travel.  Those  who  improve  the 
modern  facilities  for  seeing  the  world  acquire  an 
inexhaustible  wealth  of  information,  and  a  delight- 
ful mental  resort  of  which   nothing  can  deprive 


iv  PREFACE. 

them.  The  power  of  vision  is  thus  enlarged, 
many  occurrences  "which  have  heretofore  proved 
daily  mysteries  become  clear,  prejudices  are  anni- 
hilated, and  the  judgment  broadened.  Above  all, 
let  us  first  become  familiar  with  the  important 
features  of  our  own  beautiful  and  widespread 
land  before  we  seek  foreign  shores,  especially  as 
we  have  on  this  continent  so  much  of  unequaled 
grandeur  and  unique  phenomena  to  satisfy  and  to 
attract  us.  It  seems  to  the  undersigned  that 
perhaps  this  volume  will  have  a  tendency  to  lead 
the  reader  to  such  conclusion,  and  certainly  this 

is  its  primary  object. 

M.  M.  B. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

Paob 

Itinerary.  —  St.  Paul.  — The  Northern  Pacific  'Railroad. — 
Progress.  —  Luxurious  Traveling;.  —  Hidiiijr  ou  a  Locomo- 
tive.—  Night  Experiences.  —  Prairie  Scenes.  —  Immense 
Grain-Fields.  —  The  Badlands.  —  Climbing  the  Kocky 
Mountains.  —  Cinnabar.  —  The  Yellowstone  Park.  —  Au 
Accumulation  of  Wonders.  —  The  Famous  Hot  Springs 
Terrace.  —  How  Formed.  —  As  seen  by  Moonlight   ...      I 

CHAPTER   II. 

Nature  in  Poetic  Moods. —Is  there  Lurking  Danger?  —  A 
Sanitarium.  —  Tlie  liberty  Cnp.  —  The  Giant's  Thumb.— 
Singular  Caves.  —  Falls  of  the  Gardiner  River. —  In  the 
Saddle.  —  Grand  Caiion  of  the  Yellowstone.  —  Far-Reach- 
ing  Antiquity. — Obsidian  Cliffs. — A  Road  of  Glass. — 
Beaver  Lake.  —  Animal  Builders.  —  Aborigines  of  the 
Park.  —  The  Sheep-Eaters.  —  The  Shoshoaes  and  other 
Tribes 20 


CHAPTER  IIL 

Norris  Geyser  Basin.  —  Fire  beneath  the  Surface.  —  A  Guide's 
Ideas.  —  The  Curious  Paint  Pot  Basin.  —  Lower  Geyser 
Basin.  —  Boiling  Springs  of  Many  Colors.  —  Mountain 
Lions  at  Play.  —  Midway  Geyser  Basin.  —  "  Hell's  Half 
Acre."  —  In  the  Midst  of  Wonderland.  —  "  Old  Faithful." 
—  Other  Active  Geysers.  —  Erratic  Nature  of  these  Re- 
markable Fountains 34 


vi  tONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Great  Yellowstone  Lake.  —  Myriads  of  Birds.  —  Solitary 
Beautv  of  the  Lake.  —  Tlie  Flora  of  ilie  Park. —Devas- 
tating Fires.  —  Wi'd  Auimals. —  Grand  Vokanic  Centre. 

—  Mountaiu  Clinibin;:  and  Wonderful  Views.  —  A  Story  of 
Discovery. —  Government  Exploration  of  the  Reservation. 

—  Governor  Washburn's  Expedition.  —  "For  the  Benefit 

of  the  People  at  Large  Forever  " 47 

CHAPTER   V. 

Westward  Journey  resumed.  —  Queen  City  of  the  Moun- 
tains—  Crossing  the  Rockies.  —  Butte  City,  the  Great 
Mining  Centre.  —  Montana.  —  The  Red  Men.  —  About  the 
Aborigines.  —  The  Cowboys  of  the  West.  —  A  Successful 
Hunter.  —  Emigrant  Teams  on  the  Pmiries.  —  Immense 
Forests.  —  Puget  Sound.— The  Famous  Stampede  Tunnel. 

—  Immigration 57 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Mount  Tacoma.  —  Terminus  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Rail- 
road.—  Great  Inland  Sea.  —  City  of  Tacoma  and  its  Mar- 
velous Growth.  —  Coal  Measures.  —  The  Modoc  Indians. 

—  Embarking  for  Alaska.  —  The  Rapidly  Growing  City  of 
Seattle.  —  Tacoma  with  its  Fifteen  Glaciers  — Something 
about  Port  Towusend.  —  A  Chance  for  Members  of  Alpine 
Clubs 73 


CHAPTER   VIL 

Victoria,  Vancouver's  Island.  —  Esquimalt. —  Chinamen.— 
Remarkable  Flora.  —  Suburbs  of  the  Town.  —  Native 
Tribes.  —  Cossacks  of  the  Sea.  —  Manners  and  Customs.  — 
Tiie  Early  Discoverer.  —  Sailing  in  the  Inland  Sea.  —  Ex- 
cur. --ion  ists. —  Mount  St.  Elias.  —  Mount  Fairweather. — 
A  Mount  Olympus.  —  Seymour  Narrows. — Night  on  the 
Waters.  —  A  Touch  of  the  Pacific 84 


CONTENTS.  TU 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Steamship  Corona  and  hei-  Passengers.  —  The  New  Eldo- 
railo.  —  Tlie  Greed  for  Gold.  —  Alaska  the  Synonym  of 
Glacier  Fields.  —  Vegetation  of  the  Islands. —  Aleutian 
Inlands.  —  Attoo  our  most  Westerly  Possession.  —  Native 
Whalers. —  Life  on  the  Island  of  Attoo. —  Unalaska. — 
Kodiak,  former  Capifal  of  Russian  America.  —  The  Greek 
Church.  —  Whence  the  Natives  originally  came    ....  109 

CHAPTER   IX. 

Cook's  Inlet.  —  Manufacture  of  Quass.  —  Native  Piety. — 
Mummies.  —  The  North  Coast.  —  Geographical  Position. 

—  Shallowness  of  Bchring  Sea. — Alaskan  Peninsula. — 
Size  of  Alaska. —A  "Terra  Incognita."  —  Reasons  why 
Russia  sold  it  to  our  Government.  —  The  Price  compara- 
tively Nothing. —  Rental  of  the  Seal  Islands.  —  Mr.  Sew- 
ard's Purchase  turns  out  to  be  a  Bonanza 127 

CHAPTER  X. 

Territorial  Acquisitions.  —  Population  of  Alaska. —  Steady 
Commercial  Growth.  —  Primeval  Forests.  —  The  Country 
teems  with  Animal  Life.  —  A  Mighty  Reserve  of  Codfish. 

—  Native  Food. —  Fur-Bearing  Animals.  —  Islands  of  St. 
George  and  St.  Paul.  —  Interesting  Hahits  of  the  Fur- 
Seal.  —  The  Breeding  Sea.son. — Their  Natural  Food. — 
Mammoth  Size  of  the  Bull  Seals 143 


CHAPTER   XI. 

Enormous  Slaughter  of  Seals.  —  Manner  of  Killing. — Bat- 
tles between  the  Bulls.  —  A  Mythical  Island.  —  The  Seal 
as  Food.  —  The  Sea-Otter.  — A  Rare  and  Valuable  Fur. — 
The  Baby  Sea-Otter.  —  Great  Breeding-Phice  of  Birds.— 
Banks  of  the  Yukon  River.  —  Fur-Bearing  Land  Animals. 
Aggregate  Value  of  the  Trade.  —  Character  of  the  Native 
Race 159 


yiii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Climate  of  Alaska.  —  Ample  Grass  for  Domestic  Cattle.  — 
Winter  and  Summer  Sejisons.  — Tiie  Jajianese  Current.  — 
Temperature  in  the  Inierior.  —  The  Eskimos. — Their 
Customs.  —  Their  Homes.  —  These  Arctic  Regions  once 
Tropical.  —  The  Missis-ip|ii  of  Alaska.  —  Placer  Mines. — 
The  Natives.  —  Strong  lucliuatioo  for  Intoxicants     .    .     .173 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Sailing  Northward.  —  Chinese  Labor.  —  Unexplored  Islands. 

—  Tlie  Alexander  Archipelago.  —  Rich  Viigiu  Soil.  —  Fish 
Canning.  —  Myriads  of  Salmon.  —  Naiivc  Villages.  — 
Reckless  Habits.  — Awkward  Fashions  and  their  Origin. — 
Tattooing  Young  Girls. —  Peculiar  Effect  of  Inland  Pas- 
sages.—  Mountain  Echoes.  —  Moonlight  and  Midnight  on 

the  Sea 186 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Alaskan's  Habit  of  Gambling.  —  Extraordinary  Domes- 
tic Carvings  —  Silver  Bracelets  —  Prevailing  Supersti- 
tions. —  Di.sposal  of  the  Dead.  —  The  Native  "  Potlatch." 

—  Cannibalism.  —  Ambitions  of  Preferment.  —  Himmn 
Sacrifices.  —  The  Tribes  slowly  decreasing  in  Numbers. — 
Influence  of  the  Women.  —  Wiichiraft.  —  Fetich  Worship. 

—  The  Native  Canoes.  —  Eskimo  Skin  Boats 199 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Still  sailing  Northward.  —  Multitudes  of  Water-Fowls.  — 
Native  Graveyards  — Curious  Totem-Poles.  —  Trilial  and 
Family  Kmblems — Division  of  the  Tribes.  —  W^hence 
the  Race  came.  —  A  Clew  to  their  Origin.  —  The 
Northern  Eskimos.  —  A  Remarkable  Museum  of  Aleutian 
Antiquitie.<«.  —  Jade  Mountain.  —  The  Art  of  Carving. — 
Long  Days.  —  Aborigines  of  the  Yukon  Valley.  —  Their 
Customs 212 


CONTENTS.  IX 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Fort  Wrangel.  —  Plenty  of  Wild  Game.  —  Natives  do  not 
care  for  Soldier.'?,  but  have  a  Wiiolesoine  Fear  of  Guuboats. 

Mode    of    Trading.  —  Girls'  School    and    Home.  —  A 

Deadly  Tragedy.  —  Native  Jewelry  and  Carving.  —  No 
Totem-Poles  for  Sale. —Missionary  Enterprises.  —  Prog- 
ress in  Educating  Natives.  —  Various  Denominations  en- 
gaged in  the  Missionary  Work    •    •  222 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Schools  in  Alaska.  —  Natives  Ambitious  to  learn.  —  Wild 
Flowers.  —  N.itive  Grasses.  —  Bo:it  Racing.  —  Avaricious 
Natives.  —  The  Candle  Fish.  —  Gold  Mines  Inland.  — 
Chinese  Gold  Diggers.  —  A  Ledge  of  Garnets.— Belief  in 
Omens.  —  More  Schools  required.  —  The  Pestiferous  Mos- 
quito.—  Mosquitoes  and  Bears.  —  Alaskan  Fjords.  —  The 
Patterson  Glacier 231 

CHAPTER   XVin. 

Norwegian  Scenery.  —  Lonely  Navigation.  —  The  Marvels 
of  Takou  Inlet.  —  Hundreds  of  Icebergs. —  Home  of  the 
Frost  King.  —  More  Gold  Deposits.  —  Snow.storm  among 
the  Peaks.  — Juneau  the  Metropolis  of  Alaska.  —  Ank  and 
Takou  Indians.  —  Manners  and  Customs.  —  Spartan  Hab- 
its. —  Disposal  of  Widows.  —  Duels.  —  Sacrificing  Slaves. 

—  Hideous  Customs  still  prevail 246 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Aboriginal  Dwellings.  —  Mastodons  in  Alaska. — Few  Old 
People  alive.  —  Abundance  of  Rain.  —  The  Wonderful 
Treadwell  Gold  Mine. — Largest  Quartz  Crushing  Mill  in 
the  World.  —  Inexhaustible  Riches.  —  Other  Gold  Mines. 

—  The  Great  Davidson  Glacier.  —  Pyramid  Harbor. — 
Native  Frauds.  —  The  Chilcats. — Mammoth  Bear.  —  Sal- 
mon Canneries 258 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Glacier  Bay.  —  More  Ice  Bays.  —  Majestic  Front  of  the  Muir 
Glacier.  —  The  Boinbarclment  of  the  Ghicier.  —  One  of  the 
Grandest  Sights  in  tlie  World.  —  A  Moving  River  of  Ice. 

—  The  Natives.  —  Abundance  of  Fish.  —  Native  Cooking. 

—  Wild  Bellies. —  Hoouiah  Tribe.  —  Copper  Mines.  —  An 
Iron  Mouutaiu.  —  Coal  Mines 275 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

Sailing  Southward.  —  Sitka,  Capital  of  Alaska.  —  Transfer  of 
the  Territory  from  Russia  to  America.  —  Site  of  the  City. 
—  The  Old  Castle.  —  Ru>siau  Habiis  — A  Haunted 
Chamber.  — Russian  Elegance  and  Hospitality. — The  Uld 
Greek  Church.  —  Rainfall  at  Sitka. — The  Japanese  Cur- 
rent.—  Abundance  of  Food.  — Plenty  of  Vegetables.  —  A 
Fine  Harbor 293 


CHAPTER  XXn. 

Contr.nst  between  Ameiicnn  and  Rn.^sian  Sitka.  —  A  Prac- 
tical Missionary.  —  Tlie  Sitka  Industrial  School.  —  Gold 
Mines  on  tlie  Island.  —  Environs  of  the  Town.  —  Future 
Prosperity  of  tiie  Country.  —  Hot  Sprinjrs.  —  Native  Re- 
ligious Ideas.  —  A  Natural  Taste  for  Music.  —  A  Native 
Brass  Band.  —  Final  View  of  the  Capital 304 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

The  Return  Voyage.  —  Prince  of  Wales  Island.  —  Peculiar 
Effects.  —  Mand  and  Ocean  Voyages  contrasted.  —  Laby- 
rinth of  Verdant  Islands.  —  Flora  of  the  North.  —  Political 
Condition  of  Alaska.  —  Return  to  Victoria.  —  What  Cloth- 
ing to  wear  on  the  Journey  North.  — City  of  Vancouver. 
—  Scenes  in  British  Columbia.  —  Through  the  Mountain 
Ranges 321 


CONTENTS.  xi 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

In  the  Heart  of  the  Kocky  Mountains.  —  Struggle  in  a  Thun- 
der-Storm.  —  Grand  Scenery. —  Snow-Capped  Mountains 
and  Glaciers.  —  Banff  Hot  Springs.  —  The  Canadian  Park. 
—  Eastern  Gate  of  the  llockies.  —  Calgary.  —  Natural 
Gas.  —  Cree  and  Blackfect  Indians.  —  Regina.  —  Farming 
on  a  Big  Scale.  —  Port  Arthur.  —  North  Side  of  Lake 
Superior.  —  A  Midsummer  Night's  Dream        338 


EXCURSIONS  TO  ALASKA. 


When  the  author  of  "  The  New  Eldorado  "  wrote  the 
pages  which  form  the  body  of  this  volume,  he  had  no 
thought  of  producing  a  guide-book,  but  wished  simply  to 
describe  the  details  of  an  extremely  interesting  and  in- 
structive journey  from  Boston  to  Sitka  and  back.  Many 
intelligent  travelers  have,  however,  used  the  volume  as  a 
guide-book,  and  the  author  has  been  in  receipt  of  many 
requests  for  specific  information  regarding  the  means 
and  mode  of  making  a  similar  journey.  To  meet  these 
inquiries,  and  render  the  volume  more  serviceable  as  a 
companion  to  those  who  desire  to  visit  Alaska,  an  itiner- 
ary of  the  usual  route  followed  by  excursionists  is  here- 
with prefixed  to  the  original  volume,  and  the  whole  is 
issued  in  its  present  cheap  and  handy  form. 

Preparation  fob  the  Journey. 

Dress  and  Luggage.  —  On  pp.  329,  330,  of  this  vol- 
ume, the  reader  will  find  such  slight  suggestion  regard- 
ing equipment  as  he  may  need.  The  traveler  who  does 
not  propose  to  play  the  role  of  an  Arctic  explorer  will 
find  himself  from  beginning  to  end  of  his  joui'ney  under 
much  the  same  conditions  as  in  traveling  anywhere  on 
the  Pacific  coast.  Every  one  will  consult  his  own  taste 
in  such  matters  as  fieldglasses  and  photographic  appa- 
ratus, but  the  journey  gives  frequent  opportunities  for 
getting  interesting  long-range  views,   and  for  catching 


xiv  EXCURSIONS   TO  ALASKA. 

and  preserving  characteristic  landscape  effects.  Good 
photographs  of  Alaskan  scenes  can,  however,  be  pro- 
cured in  our  large  cities  as  well  as  at  Sitka  and  other 
points. 

Routes.  —  There  are  various  ways  of  reaching  Victo- 
ria, Vancouver  Island,  at  which  point  the  following  itin- 
erary commences,  depending,  of  course,  upon  the  points 
from  which  the  traveler  starts. 

The  Pacific  Coast  Steamship  Company  runs  three 
steamers  to  and  from  Alaska  during  the  excursion  sea- 
son, which  is  from  May  to  September,  inclusive.  The 
best  months  for  profitable  enjoyment  of  the  trip  are 
June,  July,  and  August.  These  steamers  sail  fort- 
nightly from  their  starting  -  points,  and  are  large,  con- 
structed of  iron,  and  fitted  with  every  requisite,  besides 
many  luxuries.  Two  of  the  steamers,  namely,  the 
George  W.  Elder  and  the  City  of  Topeka,  start  from 
Portland,  Ore. ;  the  third,  known  as  the  Queen,  makes 
Tacoma,  on  Puget  Sound,  her  starting-point.  All  of 
these  vessels  call  at  Tacoma,  Seattle,  Port  Townsend, 
and  Victoria.  Canadian  passengers  can  take  them  at 
Port  Townsend  or  Victoria.  Northern  Pacific  passen- 
gers can  take  them  at  Tacoma. 

Cofit  of  Excursion.  —  The  Pacific  Steamship  Com- 
pany advertise  the  following  terms  for  excursion  tickets 
from  San  Francisco. 

PRICE   OF   EXCURSION    TICKETS    TO   ALASKA   AND 
RETURN, 

Including  a  Berth  and  Meals  on  Ocean  Steamers. 

From  San   Francisco,  via  Victoria  and  Port  Townsend, 

returning  same  way $130.00 

From  San  Francisco,  via  Victoria,  returning  via  Tacoma, 

Portland,  and  Columbia  River 140.00 


EXCURSIONS  TO  ALASKA.  XV 

Prom  San  Francisco,  via  Portland  and  Tacoma,  returning 

via  Victoria  and  Strait  of  Fuca $140.00 

From  Portland,  Ore.,  via  Astoria,  returning  same  way      .  109.00 

From  Portland,  Ore.,  via  Tacoma  and  Port  Townsend  .     .  109.00 

From  Tacoma 100.00 

From  Seattle 98.00 

From  Port  Townsend 95.00 

From  Victoria,  B.  C 95.00 

TICKETS    (not    RETUKN),  as   FOLLOWS:  — 

San  Francisco  to  Juneau  or  Sitka $7000 

San  Francisco  to  Wrangel 50.00 

Portland  to  Juneau  or  Sitka 60.00 

Portland  to  Wrangel 40.00 

Tacoma  to  Wrangel 33.00 

Tacoma  to  Juneau  or  Sitka  . 53.00 

Seattle  to  Wrangel       32.50 

Seattle  to  Juneau  or  Sitka 52.50 

Victoria  or  Townsend  to  Juneau  or  Sitka 5000 

Victoria  or  Townsend  to  Wrangel 30.00 

The  company  also  provides  for  steerage  passengers  at  about 
half  rates. 

The  Raymond  Excursion  Company  of  Boston  organ- 
izes personally  conducted  parties  during  the  summer 
months  from  that  city  and  return,  including  a  week  in 
the  Yellowstone  Park,  all  expenses  and  hotel  bills  paid, 
for  $500  (five  hundred  dollars),  which,  for  a  journey  of 
nearly  eight  thousand  miles  and  occupying  fifty  days,  is 
a  moderate  price. 

These  excursions  can  be  joined  at  any  intermediate 
point  with  corresponding  reduction  in  price. 

Time  required.  —  The  passage  from  Victoria  through 
the  Inland  Sea  of  Alaska  and  return  occupies  twelve 
days,  during  which  the  traveler  lives  upon  the  steamer, 
but  will  find  time  to  land  at  several  important  places, 
and  to  make  brief  excursions  on  shore. 


xvi  EXCURSIONS  TO  ALASKA. 

Itixerart. 

Aloxg  the  Coast  of  Vancouver  Island.  —  Van- 
couver stretches  along  the  coast  of  British  Cohimbia  two 
hundred  miles  in  a  northwesterly  direction,  and  pursuing 
the  usual  course  of  excursionists  from  Victoria,  we  turn 
northward  through  Haro  Strait.  To  the  eastward  is  the 
Island  of  San  Juan,  once  a  source  of  contention  between 
this  government  and  Great  Britain,  as  regarded  the 
boundary  line  between  the  two  countries.  The  question 
was  settled  in  our  favor  by  the  late  Emperor  William 
of  Germany,  who  was  mutually  chosen  by  the  two  coun- 
tries as  arbitrator. 

The  prospect  from  the  steamer's  deck  is  here  very 
fine.  Mount  Baker,  the  Olynipian  range  south  of  Vic- 
toria, with  hundreds  of  other  ])eaks  on  the  islands  and 
mainland,  all  come  within  the  view.  From  Haro  Strait 
we  enter  Active  Pass,  and  thence  the  broad  waters  of 
the  Strait  of  Georgia,  skirting  the  islands  of  Galiano, 
Valdes,  and  Gabriola. 

Strait  of  Georgia.  —  We  continue  on  through  the 
Strait  of  Georgia,  which  nariows  when  the  islands  of 
Texada  and  Lasqueti  are  reached.  The  view  of  the 
mountains  on  the  mainland  at  this  point  is  very  grand, 
long  lines  of  irregular  snowy  peaks  presenting  them- 
selves to  the  eye  in  fantastic  forms.  A  series  of  fiords 
are  passed  which  penetrate  the  land  for  a  hundred 
miles  more  or  less,  known  successively  as  How  Sound, 
Jervis  Inlet,  Desolation  Sound,  Seymour  and  Belize 
Inlets. 

Great  Elevations.  —  About  Jervis  and  Bute  Inlets 
are  peaks  eight  and  nine  thousand  feet  in  height.  A 
group  of  slim,  needle-like  spires  near  the  latter,  over 
eight  thousand  feet  in  height,  are  particularly  noticeable. 


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FIRST    AND    SECOND     DAYS     NORTHWARD. 


EXCURiilONS  TO  ALASKA.  xvii 

A  few  scattered  Indian  tribes  are  the  only  inhabitants 
hereabouts.  Discovery  Passage  is  a  river-like  channel 
leading  into  Seymour  Narrows,  through  which  the  tide 
rushes  with  great  force  and  velocity.  From  many  of 
the  heights  cascades  are  seen  descending,  fed  by  Alpine 
snows. 

Leaving  Vancouver.  —  We  now  enter  Queen  Char- 
lotte's Sound,  forty  miles  in  length,  where  the  roll  of  the 
Pacific  is  briefly  encountered.  Our  course  carries  us  by 
Calvert  Island  and  through  Fitzhugh  Sound,  the  lead 
showing  very  great  depth  of  water.  Hunter  Island  is 
passed,  and  we  make  our  way  through  Fisher's  Channel 
and  Lama  Passage.  On  the  shore  of  Campbell  Island 
is  a  small  Indian  village  called  Bella-Bella.  Fi'om  here 
we  emerge  into  Seaforth  Channel,  with  its  myriad  of 
wooded  islands,  and  smooth,  mirror-like  waters. 

MiLBANK  Sound.  —  Our  devious  passage  takes  us 
next  through  Milbank  Sound,  where  another  view  of 
the  ojien  Pacific  presents  itself.  The  shores  of  Finlay- 
son  Channel  ai"e  densely  wooded  to  a  height  of  fifteen 
hundred  feet,  snow-capped  peaks  showing  above  the 
forest.  We  soon  pass  through  Wright  Sound  into  Gran- 
ville Channel,  a  straight  reach  of  water  fifty  miles  long, 
bordered  by  lofty  mountains  which  the  foot  of  man  has 
probably  never  trod.  Arthur  Passage  comes  next,  with 
Kennedy  Island  on  the  right  and  Porcher  Island  on  the 
left.  Chatham  Sound  is  soon  reached,  and  we  pass  Old 
Metla-katla,  the  scene  of  Mr.  Duncan's  missionary  ef- 
forts and  success.  Port  Simpson,  a  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany post,  is  next  seen  on  the  right,  and  we  continue 
northward  through  Chatham  Sound. 

Alaska.  —  Having  reached  latitude  49°  4'  north,  we 
are  on  the  line  between  British  Columbia  and  Alaska, 
reaching  the  territory  through  Dixon  Entrance,  as  it  is 


xviii  EXCURSIONS   TO  ALASKA. 

called.  Next  comes  Clarence  Strait,  which  is  over  one 
hundred  miles  long  and  from  four  to  eight  wide.  From 
here  we  ai"e  in  what  is  known  as  the  Alexandrian  Archi- 
pelago. All  through  this  strait  the  large  island,  the 
Prince  of  Wales,  lies  on  the  west  of  our  course. 

New  Metla-katla.  —  At  Port  Chester,  on  Annetta 
Island,  which  is  one  of  the  Gravina  group,  Mr.  Duncan 
has  founded  a  new  Metla-katla,  and  is  rapidly  building 
up  a  substantial  native  town  ;  with  schools,  a  church,  and 
several  self-supporting  industries.  This  indefatigable  and 
noble  missionary  is  worthy  of  all  honor  and  all  trust. 
The  good  work  he  has  accomplished  among  the  natives 
seems  almost  miraculous. 

Fort  Wraxgkl.  —  On  emerging  from  Clarence 
Strait,  the  next  place  of  interest  is  Fort  Wrangel,  situ- 
ated at  the  mouth  of  the  Stickeen  River.  This  is  the 
home  of  the  Stickeen  tribe  of  Indians.  Here  a  imniber 
of  totem  poles,  which  are  a  sort  of  ancestral  emblem,  will 
be  seen  near  the  shore.  These  carved  wooden  posts  usu- 
ally decorate  the  graves  of  Alaska  Indians,  and  are  also 
placed  before  the  rude  cabins  of  some  of  the  chiefs. 
There  are  two  missionary  schools  here. 

Still  Northward.  —  After  leaving  Fort  Wrangel, 
we  soon  enter  Prince  Frederick  Sound,  where  rugged 
mountain  tops  and  snow-shrouded  peaks  are  seen  in  all 
directions.  A  first  view  is  here  obtained  of  the  Patter- 
son Glacier.  A  second  glacier  is  seen  as  we  progress 
northward,  followed  by  a  third.  Admiralty  Island  and 
Takou  Inlet  are  j)assed,  where  there  are  two  glaciers, 
one  with  a  terminal  morain  before  it,  while  the  other  is 
constantly  discharging  miniature  icebergs  into  the  bay. 

JuxEAU.  —  Ascending  Gastlneau  Channel,  we  reach 
the  mining  town  of  Juneau,  the  most  populous  settlement 
in  Alaska.     Three  miles  back  of  the  town,  in  a  deep 


THIRD    AND    FOURTH     DAYS     NORTHWARD. 


EXCURSIONS  TO  ALASKA.  xix 

gulch,  is  situated  what  is  called  Silver  Bow  Basin,  a  rich 
mining  locality,  which  is  being  worked  by  a  Boston  com- 
pany. Just  across  the  channel,  less  than  two  miles,  is 
Douglas  Island,  where  the  famous  Treadwell  gold  mine 
is  regularly  turning  out  large  quantities  of  the  precious 
metal. 

Up  Lynn  Channel.  —  Lynn  Channel  is  sixty  miles 
long,  extending  due  north.  High  mountains  line  the 
shore,  and  many  glaciers  are  to  be  seen,  two  of  which. 
Eagle  Glacier  and  Davidson  Glacier,  are  especially  in- 
teresting. In  this  latitude  the  Arctic  appearance  of  the 
shore  increases,  and  there  is  a  glacier  of  more  or  less 
importance  in  nearly  every  ravine.  Vegetation  grows 
scarce,  and  the  snow  line  is  nearer  to  the  sea  level. 

Pyramid  Harbor.  —  The  steamers  usually  anchor  in 
this  harbor,  near  one  of  the  Indian  villages  of  the  Chil- 
cat  tribe.  It  is  here  that  explorers  and  miners  take 
their  departure  for  the  valley  of  the  Yukon,  this  being 
the  most  northerly  point  reached  in  Alaska  by  excur- 
sion steamers,  latitude  59°  10'  north.  The  summer  days 
have  here  become  notably  long,  there  being  only  three 
hours,  out  of  the  twenty-four,  of  perceptible  darkness. 

The  Great  Muir  Glacier.  —  Retracing  our  course, 
we  are  soon  in  Glacier  Bay,  when  we  come  face  to  face 
with  the  unequaled  Muir  Glacier.  From  this  bay  Mount 
Crillon,  sixteen  thousand  feet  high  ;  Mount  Fairweather, 
five  hundred  feet  less  ;  and  La  Perouse,  over  eleven  thou- 
sand feet  high,  are  all  in  view.  The  glacier  enters  the 
sea  with  a  gigantic  front  over  a  mile  in  width,  and  nearly 
three  hundred  feet  high  above  the  water.  It  has  been 
explored  inland  for  forty  miles,  and  exceeds  anything  of 
the  kind  this  side  of  the  Polar  zone.  This  great  frozen 
river  moves  seaward  during  the  summer  months  at  the 
rate  of  forty-four  feet  during  each  twenty-four  hours. 


XX  EXCURSIONS   TO  ALASKA. 

The  excursion  steamers  approach  the  front  of  the  glacier 
as  near  as  it  is  safe,  and  afford  all  desirable  opportunity 
for  observation.  Time  is  also  given  for  landing  and  as- 
cending to  the  surface  of  this  wonderful  jjlienomenon. 

Sitka,  the  Capital.  —  Steaming  southward  through 
Peril  Strait,  we  reach  the  wharf  at  Sitka.  The  ex- 
tremely interesting  scenery  is  dominated  by  the  extinct 
volcano,  Mount  Vestova,  over  three  thousand  feet  in 
height.  There  are  hei-e  many  reminders  of  Russian  oc- 
cupation, the  chief  of  which  are  the  Castle,  a  plain  block 
edifice,  and  the  Greek  Church.  Several  other  large 
structures  built  during  Russian  occupancy  now  serve  for 
barracks  for  our  soldiers,  for  a  court-room  and  a  post- 
office. 

Rkturning  Southward.  —  From  Sitka  we  turn 
southward  once  more,  having  to  retrace  our  way  for  a 
distance  of  one  thousand  miles  before  we  shall  reach 
Victoria,  Port  Townsend,  and  Tacoma.  The  route  is 
virtually  the  same  as  that  pursued  in  coming  northward, 
but  some  of  the  places  and  some  of  the  fine  scenery 
passed  in  the  night  become  visible  on  the  return  by 
daylight.  The  return  trij)  occujnes  six  days,  including 
stops. 

Port  Townsend.  —  Port  Townsend,  situated  at  the 
head  of  the  Strait  of  Juan  de  Fuca,  is  the  port  of  entry 
for  the  whole  of  Puget  Sound  district.  The  situation  is 
excellent  and  the  climate  equable.  It  is  a  thriving,  en- 
terprising town,  with  about  five  thousand  inhabitants, 
and  is  growing  rapidly.  Port  Townsend  is  nine  hun- 
dred miles  by  sea  from  San  Francisco  and  three  thou- 
sand five  hundred  from  eitlier  Boston  or  New  York.  It 
is  the  outfitting  ])lace  for  Alaska. 

Seattle.  —  This  enterprising  city  has  a  population  of 
forty  thousand,  and   is  constantly  increasing  in  impor- 


l:^ 


CL 


FIFTH     AND    SIXTH     DAYS     NORTHWARD. 


EXCURSIONS  TO  ALASKA.  xxi 

taiice.  Tlie  Northern  Pacific  Railway  has  a  branch  to 
this  point,  besides  which  it  has  other  railway  and  steam- 
boat connections.  It  is  pleasantly  situated  between  the 
sound  and  a  large  body  of  water  known  as  Lake  AYash- 
ington.  Seattle  has  lately  suffered  severely  from  a 
sweeping  fire,  but  is  now  I'ebuilt  in  better  form  than 
ever  before.     It  is  the  oldest  settlement  on  the  sound. 

Tacoma.  —  Tacoma  is  situated  at  the  head  of  Puget 
Sound,  and  is  the  terminus  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Rail- 
way, though  this  system  is  connected  with  other  Pacific 
coast  points.  The  population  is  a  trifle  larger  in  the 
aggregate  than  that  of  Seattle.  This  city  has  growing 
manufacturing  interests,  and  a  large  volume  of  well- 
established  trades.  It  is  overshadowed,  so  to  speak,  by 
the  grand  elevation  known  as  Mount  Tacoma,  fourteen 
thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

Febkuaby,  1891. 


THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 


CHAPTER   I. 

Itinerary,  —  St.  Paul.  —  The  Northern  Pacific  Railroad.  —  Pro- 
gress. —  Luxurious  Traveling.  —  Riding  on  a  Locomotive.  — 
Ni<j;ht  Experiences. —  Prairie  Scenes. —  Immense  Grain-Fields. 
—  The  Badlands.  —  Climbing  the  Rocky  Mountains.  —  Cin- 
nabar. —  The  Yellowstone  Park.  —  An  Accumulation  of 
Wonders.  —  The  Famous  Hot  Springs  Terrace.  —  How 
Formed.  —  As  Seen  by  Moonlight. 

A  JOURNEY  from  Massachusetts  to  Alaska  was 
a  serious  undertaking  a  few  years  ago.  It  in- 
volved great  personal  risk,  considerable  expense, 
and  many  long  months  of  weary  travel ;  but  it  is 
now  considered  scarcely  more  than  a  holiday  ex- 
cursion, a  good  share  of  which  may  be  denomi- 
nated a  marine  picnic.  That  an  important  country, 
so  easily  accessible,  should  remain  comparatively 
unexplored  seems  singular  in  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury, especially  when  its  great  mineral  wealth  and 
natural  attractions  are  freely  admitted.  The  trip 
to  Sitka,  the  capital  of  the  Territory,  and  back 
is  easily  accomplished  in  three  months,  affording 
also  ample  time  to  visit  the  principal  points  of 
interest  on  the  route,  including  the  marvels  of  the 
Yellowstone  National  Park,  in  Wyoming,  which 


2  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

is  not  only  not  surpassed  in  grandeur  and  beauty 
b}'  any  scenery  on  the  continent,  but  in  fact  has 
no  parallel  on  the  globe.  The  tiaveler  also  natu- 
rally pauses  on  his  way  to  examine  at  least  one  of 
the  great  mining  centres  of  this  gold-pioducing 
country,  such  as  Butte,  the  "  Silver  City "  of 
Montana,  where  he  may  behold  scenes  eclipsing  in 
affluence  the  fabulous  story  of  Midas.  The  plan 
adopted  by  the  author,  as  herein  detailed,  was  to 
make  the  westward  journey  by  the  Northern  Pa- 
cific Railroad  to  Tacoma,  on  Puget  Sound,  where 
the  remarkable  inland  sea  voyage  begins,  thence 
sailing  north  to  Pyramid  Harbor  and  Glacier  Bay, 
stopping  as  usual  at  the  intermediate  places  of 
interest. 

On  the  homeward  passage,  to  vary  the  journey 
and  to  enjoy  the  wild  scenery  of  British  Colum- 
bia, Alberta,  Assiniboia,  and  Manitoba,  he  left 
the  steamer  at  Vancouver,  returning  by  the  Cana- 
dian Pacific  Railway,  which  presents  to  the  lover 
of  nature  such  famous  scenic  advantages. 

Tlie  journey  westward  seems  practically  to 
begin  when  the  traveler  reaches  St.  Paul,  the 
capital  of  Minnesota,  by  way  of  Chicago,  as  here 
he  strikes  the  trunk  line  of  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad,  which  has  an  exclusive  and  unbroken 
track  thence  to  Tacoma,  a  distance  of  nearly  two 
thousand  miles,  the  whole  of  which  is  covered 
Avith  novelty  and  interest. 

We  will  not  pause  to  fully  describe  St.  Paul, 
that  youthful  city  of  marvelous  growth,  promise, 
and  beauty,  with  her  mammoth  business  edifices 


EXPANSION  OF  RA[LRO.\,DS.  3 

of  stone  and  brick,  her  palatial  private  residences, 
and  her  charming  boulevards.  The  most  casual 
visitor  is  eloquent  upon  these  themes,  as  well  as 
regarding  the  open-handed  hospitality  of  her 
two  hundred  thousand  inhabitants.  Three  iron 
bridges  span  the  Mississippi  at  St,  Paul,  one  of 
which  is  nearly  three  thousand  feet  long,  sup- 
ported upon  arches  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in 
span,  and  having  a  roadway  elevated  two  hundred 
feet  above  the  water. 

St.  Paul  is  situated  upon  a  series  of  terraces  ris- 
ing from  the  left  bank  of  the  Mississippi  River, 
its  site  being  both  commanding  and  picturesque. 
Thus  built  at  the  head  of  navigation  on  a  great 
watervva}'',  it  naturally  commands  a  trade  of  no 
circumscribed  character,  besides  enjoying  the  pres- 
tige of  being  the  State  capital. 

Were  it  not  for  the  unlimited  facilities  of  trans- 
portation afforded  by  the  grand  and  beneficent 
railroad  enterprise  embraced  in  the  Northern  Pa- 
cific system,  the  development  of  the  vast  and  fer- 
tile country  which  lies  between  Lake  Superior  and 
the  Pacific  Ocean  would  have  been  delayed  for 
half  a  century  or  more.  It  should  be  remembered 
that  so  late  as  1850  there  was  not  one  mile  of 
railroad  in  existence  west  of  the  Mississippi  River. 
In  1836  there  were,  at  most,  but  a  thousand  miles 
in  operation  on  the  entire  American  continent. 
This  is  an  epoch  of  progress.  Japan  is  traversed 
by  railways,  even  China  has  caught  the  contagion, 
and  is  now  building  roads  for  the  use  of  the  iron 
horse  in  more  than  one  direction  within  that  an- 


4  .THE   XE If   ELD 0 li A D O. 

cient  and  widespread  empire,  while  Russia  and 
India  are  "  gridironed  "  with  rails. 

It  was  remarked  in  a  congressional  speecli  in 
the  year  1847  that  the  Rocky  Mountains  would  be 
the  limit  of  railroad  enterprise  across  our  conti- 
nent ;  that  the  barrier  presented  by  these  huge  ele- 
vations and  the  extensive  "  desert  tract "  beyond 
them  must  certainly  prevent  the  development  of 
the  Pacific  States. 

''  Desert,"  indeed  ! 

No  land  on  the  globe  produces  such  remarkable 
cereal  crops  as  this  very  prairie  soil  is  doing  each 
successive  year,  not  o\\\y  supplying  our  own  rapidly 
increasing  population  with  the  staff  of  life,  but 
also  feeding  the  less  fortunate  millions  of  Europe, 
where  excessive  labor  and  costly  enrichment  must 
make  up  the  deficit  arising  from  an  exhausted  soil 
and  circumscribed  area.  The  reader  who  follows 
these  pages  will  not  fail  to  see  how  liable  legis- 
lators are  to  be  mistaken  in  their  predictions,  and 
how  apt  events  are  to  transcend  the  weak  judg- 
ment of  the  confident  and  inexperienced  declaimer. 
Even  that  Titan  statesman,  Daniel  Webster,  put 
himself  on  record  in  the  United  States  Senate, 
while  speaking  against  a  proposition  to  establish 
a  mail  route  through  a  portion  of  the  western 
country,  as  follows :  "  What  do  we  want  with 
this  vast,  worthless  area  —  this  region  of  savages 
and  wild  beasts,  of  deserts  of  shifting  sands  and 
whirlwinds  of  dust,  of  cactus  and  prairie  dogs? 
To  what  use  could  we  ever  hope  to  put  these  great 
deserts  or  those  endless  mountain  ranges,  impene- 


EDEN   OF  THE  NORTH  PACIFIC.  5 

trable,  and  covered  to  tlieir  very  base  with  eternal 
snow?  What  can  we  ever  hope  to  do  with  the 
western  coast,  —  a  coast  of  three  thousand  miles, 
rock-bound,  cheerless,  uninviting,  and  not  a  har- 
bor on  it?    What  use  have  we  for  this  country?" 

In  crossing  the  continent  by  the  route  we  have 
chosen,  one  passes  through  a  country  whose  grand 
scenic  charms  can  hardly  be  exaggerated,  in  de- 
scribing which  superlatives  only  will  apply,  and 
whose  agricultural  advantages,  natural  resources, 
and  mineral  wealth  are  probably  unequaled  in 
the  known  world.  We  are  taken  through  the 
productive  wheat-fields  of  Minnesota  and  Dakota, 
among  the  gold  and  silver  bearing  hills  of  Idaho 
and  Montana,  into  the  prolific,  garden-like  valleys 
of  Washington,  whose  lovely  hopfields  rival  the 
gorgeous  display  of  Kent  in  England,  and  whose 
abundant  supply  of  coal  and  iron  is  only  second  to 
that  of  Pennsylvania. 

The  State  has  been,  and  may  well  be,  denomi- 
nated the  Eden  of  the  North  Pacific. 

On  our  way  we  are  constantly  meeting  immense 
freight  trains,  laden  with  grain,  flour,  cattle,  and 
other  merchandise,  bound  for  the  Atlantic  coast ; 
long  strings  of  coal  cars,  winding  snake-like  round 
sharp  curves,  and  creeping  up  steep  grades ;  pas- 
senger vans  crowded  with  animated,  intelligent 
people,  all  together  testifying  to  the  great  and 
growing  traffic  of  the  West  and  Northwest.  We 
pass  scores  of  lofty  grain  elevators,  high  piles  of 
lumber,  and  miles  of  various  kinds  of  merchandise 
prepared  for,  and  awaiting,  shipment   eastward, 


6  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

nil  of  which  evinces  a  local  capacity  for  procluf- 
tion  far  beyond  our  computation.  How  mar- 
velous is  the  change  from  the  conditions  existing 
in  this  region  a  few  years  since,  when  millions  of 
buffaloes  roamed  unmolested  over  these  plains, 
valleys,  and  hills  from  Texas  to  ]Manitoba!  The 
skeletons  of  these  herds  still  sprinkle  the  prairies, 
bleached  by  the  summer  sun  and  crumbled  by  the 
winter's  frost.  Hundreds  of  carloads  are  annually 
shipped  eastward  to  the  factories  which  manufac- 
ture fertilizers. 

As  we  speed  on  our  western  journey  day  and 
night,  gliding  through  long  tunnels  and  deep  rofk 
cuttings,  over  airy  trestles,  immense  embankments, 
bridges,  and  viaducts,  representing  the  skillful  ac- 
complishments of  modern  engineering,  we  carry 
along  with  us  the  domestic  conveniences  of  home. 
The  train,  in  fact,  becomes  our  hotel  for  the  time 
being,  where  we  bathe,  eat,  sleep,  and  enjoy  the 
passing  scenery  seated  in  luxuriously  upholstered 
easy-chairs,  which  at  night  are  ingeniously  trans- 
formed as  if  by  magic  into  soft  and  inviting  beds. 
The  elegance  and  comfort  of  these  parlor,  dining, 
and  sleeping  cars  is  calculated  to  make  traveling 
what  it  has  in  a  measure  become,  an  inviting  lux- 
ury. The  miraculous  cap  of  Fortunatus  would 
seem  to  have  been  pressed  into  our  service.  So 
thoioughly  perfected  is  the  transcontinental  rail- 
road system  that  it  is  quite  possible  to  enter  the 
cars  in  an  Atlantic  city,  say  at  Boston  or  New 
York,  and  not  leave  the  train  until  five  or  six  days 
have  expired,  when  the  objective  point  on  the  Pa- 
cific coast  ifi  rear-hed. 


A  NIGHT  RIDE  ON  THE  ENGINE.  7 

While  passing  through  deep  gorges  at  night,  or 
creeping  over  a  mountain  top,  the  effect  f loai  one's 
seat  in  the  cars  is  weird  and  curious,  especially 
when  the  winding  track  makes  long  curves  in  the 
tr.iin,  so  that  the  panting  iron  horse  is  seen  fionj 
the  rear,  all  ablaze  and  emitting  dense  clouds  of 
smoke.  The  snow-tipped  peaks  on  one  side  and 
the  threatening  gulch  of  unknown  depth  on  the 
other  assume  a  mantle  of  soft,  gauze-like  texture 
in  the  clear  moonlight.  At  times  one  half  believes 
the  rails  are  laid  upon  tlie  tree-tops,  the  brandies 
of  which  loom  up  so  close  to  us.  Aw;iy  in  the  val- 
ley, two  thousand  feet  and  more  below  our  level, 
a  rippling  stream  sparkles  in  the  silvery  light 
wiiile  on  its  way  to  swell  some  larger  watercourse 
which  drains  the  rocky  hills.  Looking  far  across 
the  valley  we  try  to  make  out  the  distant  moun- 
tains, but  only  dim  phantoms  of  gigantic  size  are 
seen,  gliding  stealthily  away  in  the  darkness. 

We  make  interest  with  the  conductor  and  en- 
gineer of  the  train  for  a  special  purpose.  We  are 
in  search  of  a  new  sensation,  to  wit,  such  as  m;iy 
be  derived  from  a  night-ride  on  the  engine,  where 
one  can  see  all  the  engineer  sees,  which  is  indeed 
little  enou^^h.  The  headlight  of  the  locomotive 
throws  its  rays  dimly  on  the  darkness  for  a  few 
rods  in  advance  of  the  train.  But  what  does  that 
amount  to,  so  far  as  being  able  to  avoid  danger? 
That  brief  space  is  passed  in  a  second  of  time,  and 
it  is  impossible  to  see  what  is  beyond.  The  faith- 
ful engineer  stands  with  both  hands  upon  the  ma- 
chinery,  one   with  which  to  instantly  apply   the 


8  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

brakes,  the  other  to  shut  olf  the  steam  if  danger 
shows  itself  ahead.  That  is  all  he  can  do.  What 
a  boisterous,  asthmatic  monster  it  is  that  drags 
the  long  train  through  the  darkness  at  the  rate 
of  a  mile  in  two  minutes!  How  its  hot  breath 
belches  forth,  and  liow  it  springs  and  leaps  over 
the  iron  track,  fed  incessantly  with  fresh  fuel  by 
the  stoker!  To  one  not  accustomed  to  the  oscil- 
lating motion,  it  is  nearly  impossible  to  keep  his 
footing,  much  more  difficult  than  on  board  of  a 
pitching  or  rolling  ship  at  sea.  The  motion  is 
short,  quick,  and  incessant.  Black,  —  black  as 
Erebus  ;  how  venturesome  it  seems  to  dash  into 
such  darkness!  What  a  tempting  of  fate!  Yet 
how  few  accidents,  comparatively,  occur  !  "  The 
law  of  averages  is  what  we  calculate  upon,"  said 
the  engineer  of  No.  —  ;  "about  so  many  people 
will  be  killed  annually  out  of  a  given  number  of 
railroad  travelers.  We  take  all  reasonable  pre- 
cautions to  prevent  accidents,  but  there  are  thou- 
sands of  exigencies  beyond  our  control."  If  any 
one  proposes  to  you,  gentle  reader,  to  indulge  in  a 
nighr-ride  on  a  locomotive,  take  our  advice,  and 
don't  do  it. 

One  does  not  linger  in  bed  when  passing 
through  a  country  famous  for  its  scenery.  The 
experienced  traveler  has  learned  that  the  opening 
hours  of  the  day  are  those  in  which  his  best  and 
clearest  impressions  are  received.  He  therefore 
rises  betimes  to  enjoy  the  cool,  dewy  freshness  of 
the  morning.  Now  and  again  a  prairie-owl  is 
seen  groping  its  winged  way  to  shelter  from  the 


IMMENSE   GRAIN-FIELDS.  9 

increasing  light.  He  is  sure  to  see  plenty  of  coy- 
otes, gray  wolves,  and  graceful  antelopes  on  the 
rolling  prairies,  each  of  these  animals  exliibit- 
ing  in  some  special  and  interesting  manner  its 
natural  proclivities.  The  prairie-dog  nervously 
diving  into  and  leaping  out  of  its  little  prairie 
mound  ;  the  wolf  bravely  facing  and  glaring  at 
the  passing  train,  though  careful  to  keep  at  a 
wholesome  distance  ;  and  the  antelopes  in  small 
herds  hastening  away  by  graceful  bounds  over  the 
nearest  hills,  far  too  pretty  and  far  too  ornamen- 
tal to  shoot,  suggesting  in  form  and  movements 
that  fnost  picturesque  of  wild  animals,  the  Tyro- 
lean chamois. 

Minnesota  presents  to  the  eye  of  the  traveler  a 
grand  and  impressive  country  in  the  form  of  roll- 
ing prairies,  diversified  by  lakes,  —  of  which  there 
are  said  to  be  ten  thousand  in  the  State,  —  forest t;, 
and  inviting  valleys,  the  latter  particularly  adapted 
for  raising  wheat  and  for  dairy  farming.  Vast 
fields  of  ripening  cei'eals  are  seen  stretching  for 
miles  on  either  side  of  the  railroad,  without  a 
fence  to  break  their  uniformity.  This  State  pos- 
sesses among  other  advantages  that  of  a  climate 
particularly  dry,  invigorating,  and  healthful.  Four 
hundred  miles  of  our  I'oute  is  through  Northern 
Dakota,  where  the  farming  lands  are  easily  tilled, 
well  watered,  and  wonderfully  prolific  in  crops. 
The  choicest  wheat  grown  in  America,  known  as 
hard  spring  wheat,  comes  from  this  section,  which 
has  been  called  "  the  granary  of  the  world."  The 
gigantic  scale  on  which  wheat-raising  is  here  con- 


10  THE   NEW  ELDORADO. 

ducted  would  seem  incredible  if  faithfully  de- 
scribed to  an  old-time  New  England  farmer.  The 
improvement  which  has  been  made  in  machin- 
ery connected  with  sowing,  reaping,  harvesting, 
and  threshing  grain  enables  one  man  to  do  as 
much  in  this  western  country  as  a  dozen  men 
could  accomplish  twenty-five  or  thirty  years  ago. 
There  are  wheat  farms  here  embracing  twenty 
thousand  acres  each,  where  economy  in  labor  is  of 
the  utmost  importance,  and  where  the  employees 
are  so  numerous  as  to  be  kept  under  semi-military 
organization.  The  author  has  seen  the  big  grain- 
fiflds  of  Russian  Poland  in  their  prime,  but  they 
ai*e  as  nothing  when  compared  with  those  of 
Northern  Dakota,  nor  are  the  farming  facilities 
which  are  generally  employed  throughout  Europe 
nearl}'  equal  to  those  of  this  country. 

At  Bismarck,  capital  of  the  State,  which  is  a 
small  but  energetic  and  thriving  place,  the  Missouri 
River  is  crossed  by  a  magnificent  iron  bridge, 
hung  high  in  air,  which  cost  a  million  dollars. 
This  is  the  acme  of  successful  engineering,  jiass- 
ing  our  long,  heavy  train  of  cars  over  a  track  of 
gleaming  rails  from  shore  to  shore  without  the 
least  perceptible  tremor,  or  the  deflection  of  a 
single  inch.  The  great  waterway  which  it  spans 
measures  at  this  place  fully  twenty -eight  hundred 
feet  from  bank  to  bank,  though  it  is  at  this  point 
two  thousand  miles  from  its  confluence  with  the 
Mississippi. 

The  route  we  are  following  soon  takes  us 
through   what  are   called    the   Badlands,   a    most 


THE  BADLANDS.  11 

siiisrnlfir  region,  Avhere  subtevranean  and  surface 
lires  are  constantly  burning,  where  trees  have 
become  petrified,  and  where  the  natural  blue  clay 
lias  been  converted  into  terra  cotta.  This  local- 
ity, extending  for  miles  and  miles,  has  been  called 
Pyramid  Park,  on  account  of  its  fantastic  forms 
presented  in  a  singular  variety  of  colors,  and  be- 
cause of  its  mounds,  domes,  pyramids,  and  rocky 
towers.  These  vary  as  much  in  height  as  in  form, 
some  measuring  ten  feet,  some  two  hundred,  while 
all  are  clad  in  harlequin  costume,  black,  Avhite, 
blue,  green,  and  yellow.  It  is  called  Badlands 
in  contradistinction  to  the  adjoining  country, 
which  is  so  very  fertile,  but  the  district  is  im- 
proved as  good  grazing  ground  for  many  thousands 
of  cattle  which  supply  our  Atlantic  cities  with 
beef.  Some  of  the  best  breeds  of  horses  fm-nished 
to  the  Eastern  States  are  raised,  fed,  and  brought 
into  marketable  condition  on  these  peculiar  lands. 

This  region  forms  a  sort  of  tangible  hint  of 
what  we  shall  expeiience  still  farther  on  our 
Wonderland  journey  in  the  interesting  and  un- 
equaled  valley  of  the  Yellowstone,  where  there 
are  abundant  evidences  of  volcanic  force  and  sub- 
terranean fires,  and  where  Nature  is  seen  in  her 
most  erratic  mood. 

Just  as  we  pass  from  Dakota  into  Montana,  a 
shoit  distance  beyond  the  Little  Missouri  River, 
a  lofty  peak  called  Sentinel  Butte  is  seen,  at  an 
elevation  of  nearly  three  thousand  feet  above  sea 
level.  The  teeming,  vigorous  young  life  of  the 
Northwest  is    manifest  all   along  the   route,  with 


12  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

its  wonderful  energy  and  its  almost  incredible 
rate  of  progress.  We  were  told  that  in  the  State 
which  we  had  just  left  three  thousand  miles  of 
railroad  had  been  built  and  properly  equipped 
before  it  contained  a  single  town  of  more  than  five 
hundred  inhabitants. 

In  the  State  of  Montana  we  find  a  more  hilly 
country  than  that  through  which  we  have  so  re- 
cently passed,  yet  it  is  well  adapted  to  farming 
and  possesses  large  areas  of  excellent  giazing 
land.  Indeed,  there  is  scai'cely  aivy  part  of  this 
territory,  except  the  mountain  ranges,  wheie  the 
climate  is  not  sufficiently  mild  for  cattle  to  win- 
ter out-of-doors.  Undoubtedly  they  will  thrive 
better  for  being  housed  at  night  in  the  coldest 
weather  here  or  anywhere,  but  this  is  not  abso- 
lutely necessar}'.  Ko  food  is  required  for  them 
except  the  native  bunch  grass,  which  cures  itself, 
and  stands  as  hay  until  the  succeeding  spring. 
Cattle  are  very  fond  of  and  will  quickly  fatten 
upon  it.  Sheep  husbandry  is  also  a  great  and 
growing  interest  heie.  We  observe  now  and 
again  a  thrifty  flock,  tended  by  a  boy-shepherd 
accompanied  by  his  dog,  recalling  similar  scenes 
in  Tasmania  and  on  the  plains  of  Russia. 

Statistics  show  that  there  are  over  two  million 
acres  now  under  cultivation  in  Montana,  and  that 
the  territory  is  also  fabulously  rich  in  minerals. 
The  present  output  of  gold,  silver,  and  copper  is 
at  the  rate  of  three  million  dollars  per  month,  and 
the  yield  of  the  mines  is  steadily  on  the  increase. 

As  we  hasten  on  our  wa}',  looking  on  one  side 


CLIMBING    THE   ROCKY  MOUNT AI\S.        13 

far  down  into  sombre  depths,  and  on  the  other  at 
threatening,  overhanging  bowlders,  or  backward 
At  the  road-bed  cut  out  of  the  solid  rock  which 
forms  the  cliff,  we  wonder  at  the  successful  auda- 
city which  conceived  and  built  such  a  diflficult 
highway.  We  have  seen  few  instances  of  similar 
engineering  so  remarkable  as  is  exhibited  at  cer- 
tain points  on  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad. 
Equal  difficulties  have  been  overcome  on  the  Zig- 
zag Railway  over  the  Blue  Mountain  Range,  near 
Sidney,  Australia,  and  also  in  Northern  India, 
whei'e  the  narrow  gauge  railroad  climbs  the  foot- 
hills of  the  Himalayan  Range  to  Darjeeling, 
about  eight  thousand  feet  above  the  plains  of 
Hindostan,  but  in  neither  of  these  instances  is 
the  work  so  thorough,  or  on  so  gigantic  a  scale, 
as  where  the  Northern  Pacific  crosses  the  Rocky 
Mountains. 

We  are  quite  conscious  of  being  on  an  up 
grade,  the  large  engine  panting  audibly,  from  its 
extra  exertion,  and  the  train  moving  forward 
no  faster  than  one  could  walk.  Presently  tall, 
snow-capped  peaks  come  trooping  into  view,  like 
mounted  Bedouins  clad  in  fleecy  white,  as  the 
small  city  of  Livingston  is  reached.  This  locality 
is  about  forty -five  hundred  feet  above  the  sea. 
The  town  is  situated  in  a  beautiful  valley,  with 
nothing  to  indicate  its  altitude  except  the  snow- 
crowned  mountains  not  far  away,  standing  like 
frigid  sentinels.  The  observant  traveler  will  also 
notice  a  certain  rarefied  condition  of  the  atmos- 
phere.    Here  we  are  about  midway  between  the 


14  THE   NEW   ELDORADO. 

Great  Lakes  and  the  Pacific  coast,  —  between 
Superior,  the  largest  lake  on  the  globe,  and  the 
Pacific,  the  largest  ocean  in  the  world. 

Livingston  contains  three  thousand  inhabitants, 
and  is  a  thriving  place,  the  frequent  resort  of 
many  lovers  of  the  rod  and  gun,  both  large  and 
small  game  being  found  in  abundance  hereabouts. 
Forty  miles  north  of  Livingston  is  Castle  Moun- 
tain mining  district,  rich  in  silver  ores,  and  from 
whose  argentiferous  soil  millions  of  dollars  have 
been  coined  and  hundreds  of  enterprising  pros- 
pectors enriched.  A  branch  road  is  taken  at  this 
point  which  runs  directly  southward  to  Cinnabar, 
a  distance  of  nearly  fifty  miles,  from  which  place 
coaches  convey  the  traveler  about  six  miles  far- 
ther to  tlie  Wonderland  of  our  continent,  —  the 
Yellowstone  National  Park. 

The  terminus  of  the  railroad  is  known  b}'  the 
name  of  Cinnabar  because  it  is  situated  at  the  base 
of  a  mou;itain  bearing  that  title,  remarkable  for  its 
exposure  of  vertical  strata  of  three  distinct  geolog- 
ical ])eriods.  Here  is  a  famous  place  known  as  the 
Devil's  Slide,  a  singular  formation  caused  by  the 
washing  out  of  a  vertical  stratum  of  soft  material 
between  one  of  quartzite  and  another  of  porphyry. 
The  slide  is  two  thousand  feet  high,  and  being  of 
different  color  from  the  rest  of  the  rocky  mountain 
side  is  discernible  for  many  miles  away. 

We  have  now  reached  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able points  of  our  excursion,  which  demands  more 
than  a  j)ussing  notice,  sharing  with  the  great  gla- 
ciers of  Alaska  the  principal  interest  of  the  pres- 
ent journey  westward  across  the  continent. 


THE    YELLOWSTONE  PARK.  15 

This  magnificent  tenitorial  reservation  is  situ- 
ated in  the  northwestern  part  of  Wyoming,  em- 
bracing also  a  narrow  strip  of  southern  Montana 
and  southeastern  Idaho,  l3ing  in  the  very  heart 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  It  was  wisely  witli- 
drawn  from  settlement  by  an  act  of  Congress  in 
1872,  and  is  beneficently  devoted  forever  to  '•  the 
pleasure  and  enjoyment  of  the  people."  It  forms 
a  great  preserve  for  wild  animals,  and  a  natural 
museum  of  marvels  free  to  all.  The  well  con- 
ceived liberality  of  this  purpose  is  only  commen- 
surate with  the  unequaled  grandeur  of  the  Park 
itself,  though  at  the  time  of  passing  this  law  com- 
paratively little  was  actually  known  of  the  stu- 
pendous marvels  contained  within  its  widespread 
borders,  besides  which  fresh  discoveries  of  interest 
are  still  being  made  annually. 

Of  all  those  who  have  endeavored  to  depict  this 
locality,  none  have  been  able  to  convey  with  the 
pen  an  adequate  idea  of  its  wild  magnificence,  or 
to  give  a  satisfactory  description  of  its  acccumu- 
lated  wonders.  The  ej^e  alone  can  appreciate  its 
indescribable  beauty,  majesty,  and  loveliness. 

By  the  judicious  expenditure  of  public  money 
and  the  liberal  outlay  of  corporate  enterprise  iu 
road  and  bridge  building,  not  to  mention  other  fa- 
cilities, one  can  now  pretty  thoroughly  explore  the 
Park  in  the  brief  period  of  a  week  or  ten  days. 
To  do  this  satisfactorily  hei'etofore  required  thrice 
this  length  of  time,  besides  which,  camping  out 
was  necessary  ;  but  it  is  no  longer  so,  unless  one 
chooses  to  play  the  gypsy.     This  plan  is  adopted 


16  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

by  a  few  summer  tourists,  who  take  with  tliera  a 
regular  camp  outfit,  depending  upon  the  fish  they 
catch  for  a  considerable  portion  of  their  food  sup- 
ply during  this  out-ot'-door  life. 

The  Park  is  under  the  control  of  the  Secretary 
of  the  Interior.  A  local  superintendent  lives  here, 
who  is  assisted  by  a  few  game-keepers  and  gov- 
ernment police,  besides  which  there  is  a  small  gang 
of  laborers  constantly  at  work  during  the  favora- 
ble season,  building  roads  and  bridges,  opening 
vistas  here  and  there,  and  clearing  convenient  foot- 
paths, under  the  direction  of  an  army  engineer. 
Two  companies  of  United  States  cavalry  make 
their  headquarters  in  the  Park  during  the  summer 
months,  distributed  so  as  to  prevent  any  unlawful 
acts  of  visitors.  The  size  of  the  reservation  is 
sixty-four  miles  in  length  by  fifty-four  in  width, 
thus  giving  it  an  area  of  over  three  thousand  six 
hundred  square  miles.  Or,  to  convey  perhaps  a 
clearer  idea  of  its  extent  to  the  reader's  mind,  it 
may  be  said  to  be  nearly  one  half  the  size  of  the 
State  of  Massachusetts.  It  is  a  volcanic  region 
of  incessant  activity,  with  mountains  ranging  from 
eight  to  twelve  thousand  feet  in  height,  and 
embracing  a  collection  of  spouting  geysers,  hot 
springs,  steam  holes,  petrified  forests,  cascades,  ex- 
traordinary canons,  and  grand  waterfalls,  such  as 
are  unequaled  in  the  known  world. 

We  do  not  forget  the  well-known  geysers  of  Ice- 
land, or  the  Hot  Lak(;  district  of  New  Zealand, 
with  which  the  traveled  visitor  finds  himself  con- 
trasting the  phenomena  of  the  Yellowstone. 


THE  HOT  SPRINGS   TERRACE.  17 

The  writer  of  these  pages  happened  lately  to  see 
an  article  upon  our  National  Park,  written  by  the 
Earl  of  Dunraven,  in  which  that  gentleman  ques- 
tions whether  the  singular  natural  exhibitions  here 
are  not  exceeded  by  those  of  New  Zealand.  We 
are  familiar  with  both  localities,  and  shall  dismiss 
such  a  supposition  simply  by  saying  that  the  hot 
springs  of  the  British  colony  referred  to  are  no 
more  to  be  compared  with  those  of  the  Yellow- 
stone Park,  than  is  an  artificial  Swiss  cascade  com- 
parable with  Niagara.  If  Nature  has  anywhere 
else  shown  so  w^onderful  a  specimen  of  her  handi- 
craft, it  has  not  yet  been  our  lot  to  see  it. 

All  the  natural  objects  best  worth  visiting  in 
the  Park  are  now  accessible  by  daily  stages,  which 
start  at  convenient  hours  from  the  hotel  at  Mam- 
moth Hot  Springs,  making  the  round  of  the  inter- 
esting sights  ;  thus  affording  the  general  public 
every  needed  facility  for  examining  the  strangeh^ 
attractive  vicinity. 

Near  the  hotel  is  an  area  of  two  hundred  acres 
and  more,  covered  here  and  there  with  boiling, 
terrace-building  springs,  which  burst  out  of  slop- 
ing ground  in  ceaseless  pulsations,  at  an  elevation 
of  about  a  thousand  feet  above  the  Gardiner  River 
near  by,  into  which  the  main  portion  of  the  chem- 
ically im|)i-egnated  waters  flow.  Five  hundred 
feet  from  the  base  of  the  springs  the  water  be- 
comes cool,  tasteless,  and  perfectly  clear  to  the 
eye,  as  refreshing  to  drink  as  any  water  from  the 
purest  mountain  rill.  In  ordinai'y  quantities  it 
has  no  evident  medicinal  effect,  but  is  thought  to 


18  THE   NEW  ELDORADO. 

be  a  wholesome  tonic,  with  bldod-purifying  power. 
Some  springs  in  the  Park,  tliough  inviting  in  ap- 
pearance, are  to  be  avoided  on  account  of  cer- 
tain objectionable  medical  properties  which  they 
possess.  The  hot  springs  adjacent  to  the  hotel 
issue  from  many  vents  and  at  various  elevations, 
slowly  building  for  themselves  terrace  after  ter- 
lace  with  circular  pools,  held  in  singularly  beauti- 
ful stalactite  basins,  formed  by  depositing  in  thin 
layers  the  chemical  substances  which  they  contain. 
Some  are  infused  with  the  oxide  of  iron,  and  pro- 
duce a  coating  of  dt'licately  tinted  red  ;  others  are 
exquisitely  shaded  in  yellow  by  an  infusion  of 
sulphur;  while  some,  from  like  causes,  are  of  a 
dainty  cream  color.  Upon  numerous  basins  there 
are  seen  wavy,  frill-like  borders  of  bright  green, 
indicating  the  presence  of  arsenic.  Here  and  there 
the  margins  of  the  pools  are  scalloped  and  edged 
with  a  delicate  bead-work,  like  Oriental  pearls, 
while  others  are  curiously  honeycombed,  and  fret- 
ted with  singular  regularity.  No  artistic  hand, 
however  skillful,  could  equal  Nature  in  these  deli- 
cate and  exquisitely  developed  forms.  The  grand 
terrace,  viewed  as  a  whole,  is  like  a  huge  series 
of  stairs  or  steps,  two  hundred  feet  high  and  five 
hundred  broad,  decked  with  variegated  marble, 
together  with  white  and  pink  coral.  This  im- 
mense calcareous  formation  might  represent  a 
frozen  waterfall,  or  a  congealed  cascade.  Tiie 
water,  in  most  instances,  is  at  boiling  heat  as  it 
pours  out  of  the  various  openings,  charged  M'ith 
iron,  magnesia,  sulphur,  alumina,  soda,  and  other 


THE  PARK  b\'  moonlight.  19 

substances.  Every  spring  lias  its  succession  of 
limpid  pools  spreading  out  in  all  directions,  the 
basins  varying  in  size  from  ten  to  forty  feet  across 
their  openings.  When  the  sun  penetrates  the  half 
enshrouding  mist,  and  brings  out  the  myriad  col- 
ors of  these  beautiful  terraces,  the  effect  is  truly 
charming  ;  it  is  as  though  a  rainbow  had  been 
shattered  and  the  pieces  strewn  broadcast.  While 
thus  wreathed  in  vapors,  as  the  evening  ap- 
proaches and  the  whole  is  touched  by  the  rosy 
tints  of  the  setting  sun,  the  entire  facade  glows 
with  softest  opaline  blushes,  like  a  conscious  mai- 
den challenged  by  ardent  admiration.  For  a  mo- 
ment, as  we  gaze  upon  its  illumined  expanse,  it 
seems  like  a  gorgeous  marble  ruin  half  consumed 
and  still  ablaze,  the  fire  of  which  is  being  extin- 
guished by  an  avalanche  of  snow-clouds.  Such  a 
scene  cannot  be  depicted  by  photography ;  it  can- 
not be  represented  faithfully  by  the  artist's  skillful 
touch  in  oils,  because,  like  the  vivid  beauty  of  a 
sunset  on  the  ocean,  the  light  and  shade  are  mo- 
mentarily changing,  while  the  prismatic  hues 
gently  dissolve  into  each   other's  embrace. 

If  possible,  let  the  visitor  witness  the  niiigic  of 
the  spot  by  moonlight.  It  is  then  fairy-like  in- 
deed, shrouded  in  a  thin,  silvery  screen, —  "  mys- 
terious veil  of  brightness  made,"  —  like  the  trans- 
parent yashmak  of  an  East  Indian  houri. 


CHAPTER   II. 

Kature  in  Poetic  Moods.  —  Is  there  Lurking  Danger  ?  —  A  Sani- 
tatium.  —  Tlie  Liberty  Cap.  —  The  Giant's  Tliumb.  —  Singu- 
lar Caves. —  Falls  of  the  Gardiner  River. —  In  the  Saddle. — 
Grand  Canon  of  the  Yellowstone.  —  Far-Reaching  Antiquity. 
Obsidian  Cliffs. — A  Road  of  Glass.  —  Beaver  Lake.  —  Ani- 
mal Builders.  —  Aborigines  of  the  Park.  —  The  Sheep-Eaters. 
—  The  Shoshones  and  other  Tribes. 

How  unapproachable  is  Nature  in  her  poetic 
moods  !  how  opulent  in  measure  !  how  subtle  in 
delicacy !  No  structure  of  truest  proportions 
reared  by  man  could  equal  the  beauty  of  this 
lovely,  parti-colored  terrace.  It  recalled  —  being 
of  kindred  charm  —  that  perfection  of  Moham- 
medan architecture  the  T.ij-Mahal  at  Agra,  as 
seen  under  the  deep  blue  sky  and  blazing  sun  of 
India.  Since  the  late  sweeping  destruction  by 
earthquake  and  volcanic  outburst  of  the  similarly 
formed  pink  and  white  tenaces  in  the  Hot  Lake 
district  of  New  Zealand,  at  Tarawera,  these  of 
the  Yellowstone  Park  have  no  longer  a  known 
rival.  We  may  therefore  congratulate  ourselves 
in  possessing  a  natural  formation  which  is  both 
grand  and  unique.  In  the  far-away  southern 
country  referred  to,  there  were  no  more  symp- 
toms foretelling  the  awful  convulsion  of  nature 
■which  buried  a  broad,  deep  lake,  together  with  an 
entire  valley  and  native  village,  beneath  lava  and 


A   SANITARIUM.  21 

volcanic  ashes,  than  there  is  exhibited  in  our  own 
reservation  at  this  writing.  Wliat  signifies  it  that 
the  Yellowstone  Park  has  probably  remained  in 
its  present  comparatively  quiet  condition  for  many, 
many  ages  ?  The  liability  to  a  grand  volcanic  out- 
burst at  any  moment  is  none  the  less  imminent. 
History  repeats  itself.  It  has  ever  been  the  same 
with  all  great  throes  of  Nature.  Centuries  of 
comparative  quiet  elapse,  and  then  occurs,  with- 
out any  obvious  jDredisposing  cause,  a  great  and 
awful  explosion.  The  catastrophe  of  Pompeii  is 
familiar  to  us  all,  which,  in  its  turn,  repeated  the 
story  of  Herculaneum. 

The  Mammoth  Hut  Springs  of  the  Yellowstone 
Park  are  not  only  beautiful  in  the  tangible  forms 
which  they  present,  and  the  kaleidoscopic  combi- 
nations of  color  which  they  produce,  though  their 
seeming  crystal  clearness  is  indescribable,  but  they 
have  also  remarkable  medicinal  virtues  which  en- 
liance  their  interest  and  practical  value.  It  is  on 
this  account  that  the  place  is  gradually  becoming 
a  popular  sanitarium,  drawing  patients  from  long 
distances  at  suitable  seasons,  especially  those  who 
suffer  from  rheumatic  affections  and  skin  diseases. 
Persistent  bathing  in  the  waters  accomplishes 
many  remarkable  cures,  if  current  statements  can 
be  credited,  and  there  is  ample  reason  for  such 
a  result.  The  pure  air  of  this  altitude  must  also 
be  of  great  benefit  to  invalids  generally,  but  more 
especially  to  those  suffering  from  malarial  poison 
and  nervous  prostration.  The  chemical  proper- 
ties of  each  spring  are  distinctive,  most  of  them 


22  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

having  been  carefully  analyzed,  and  the  invalid  is 
thus  enabled  to  choose  the  one  which  is  presum- 
ably best  adapted  to  his  special  ailment. 

Groups  of  pines,  or  single  trees,  find  sufficient 
nutriment  in  the  calcareous  deposit  to  support 
life,  and  thus  a  certain  barrenness  is  robbed  of  its 
depressing  effect,  while  the  whole  is  partially 
framed  by  densely  wooded  hills  which  serve  to 
throw  the  terraces  strongly  into  the  foreground. 
When  we  last  looked  upon  the  scene  the  sun  was 
setting  amid  a  canopv  of  gold  and  orange  hues, 
as  the  evening  gun  of  the  military  encampment 
in  the  valley  echoed  again  and  again  in  sonorous 
tones  among  the  everlasting  hills,  and  died  away 
in  the  distant  gorges  of  the  Yellowstone. 

A  lady  visitor  who  entered  the  Park  at  the 
same  time  with  the  author,  ozi  the  first  day  of  her 
arrival  placed  a  pine  cone  in  one  of  the  springs 
near  to  the  hotel.  So  rapid  is  the  action  of  the 
mineral  deposit  which  is  eonstanth'  going  on  that 
at  the  close  of  the  eighth  day  the  cone  Avas  taken 
from  the  spring  crystallized,  as  it  were,  being  en- 
crusted with  a  silicious  deposit  nearl}^  the  sixteenth 
of  an  inch  in  thickness.  Branches  of  fern,  acorns, 
and  other  objects  are  treated  in  a  similar  manner, 
often  producing  very  charming  and  peculiar  orna- 
ments which  serve  as  pleasing  souvenirs  of  the 
traveler's  visit. 

In  sight  of  the  hotel  piazza  there  is  a  curious 
and  interesting  object,  built  up  by  a  spouting 
spring  long  since  extinct,  and  which  has  been 
named  the  Liberty  Cap.      It  is  a  little  on  one  side 


THE   GIANTS   THUMB.  .^3 

but  yet  in  front  of  the  terraces,  and  appears  to  be 
composed  entirely  of  carbonate  of  lime.  With  a 
diameter  of  about  fifteen  feet  at  the  base,  it  grad- 
ually tapers  to  its  apex  forty  feet  from  the  giound. 
This  prominent  formation,  though  remarkable,  is 
yet  no  mystery.  It  was  produced  by  the  waters 
of  a  spring,  probably  forced  up  by  hydrostatic 
pressure,  os^erilowing  and  precipitating  its  sedi- 
ment around  the  vent,  until  finally,  the  cause  ceas- 
ing, the  pressure  become  exhausted  and  the  cone 
was  thus  formed.  It  n)ay  have  required  ages  of 
activity  in  the  spring  thus  to  erect  its  own  mauso- 
leum,—  no  one  can  safely  conjecture  how  long. 
Still  nearer  to  the  terraces  is  a  similar  formation 
called  the  Giant's  Thumb.  Both  are  slowly  be- 
coming disintegrated  by  atmospheric  influences ; 
we  say  slowly,  since  they  may  still  exist,  slightly 
diminished  in  size,  a  hundred  years  hence.  There 
is  manifestly  a  tendency  in  the  springs  which  are 
now  active  in  other  parts  of  the  neighborhood  to 
build  just  such  tall  cylinders  of  sinter  about  tiu'ir 
vents.  Some  of  the  partially  formed  cones  in  the 
vicinity  are  perfect,  as  far  as  they  have  accumu- 
lated, wliile  others  present  a  broken  appearance, 
as  if  shattered  by  a  sudden  explosion. 

There  are  several  caves  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  terraces  daintily  ornamented  with  stalactites 
of  snowy  v^hiteness,  "where  springs  vi^hich  have 
long  since  become  exhausted  were  once  as  active 
as  those  which  now  render  this  place  so  interest- 
ing. From  one  of  these  caves  there  issues  a  pe- 
culiar gas,  believed  to  be  fatal  to  animal  life.      A 


24  THE  XEW  ELDORADO. 

bird,  it  is  said,  fl\ing  across  the  entrance  close 
enough  to  inhale  the  vapor  will  drop  lifeless  to 
the  ground.  We  are  not  prepsvred  to  vouch  for 
this,  —  indeed  we  very  much  doubt  the  guide's 
story,  —  but  it  naturally  recalled  the  Grotto  del 
Cane,  near  Najilcs,  where  it  will  be  remembered 
the  guides  are  only  too  ready  to  saciifice  a  dog  foi 
such  visitors  as  are  cruel  enough  to  permit  it,  by 
causing  the  animal  to  inhale  the  poisonous  gas 
which  settles  to  the  lower  part  of  the  cave  so 
named. 

There  is  another  cave  not  far  from  the  hotel 
very  seldom  resorted  to,  and  Avhich  appears  to 
have  once  been  the  operating  sphere  of  a  large 
geyser,  but  which  is  now  only  a  dark  hole.  Into 
this  one  descends  by  a  ladder.  It  is  a  weird, 
uncanny  place,  requiring  torches  in  order  to  see 
after  entering  its  precincts.  Aroused  by  the  arti- 
ficial light,  myriads  of  bats  drop  from  the  ceiling, 
until  the  })lace  seems  alive  with  them.  Now  and 
then  in  their  gyrations  one  touches  the  visitor's 
hand  or  cheek  with  its  cold,  damp  body,  causing 
an  involuntai'y  shudder.  Verily,  the  Bats'  Cave 
is  not  an  inviting  place  to  visit. 

One  of  the  first  places  which  the  stranger  seeks 
after  enjoying  the  attractions  of  the  terraces  and 
a  few  curiosities  near  to  the  hotel  is  the  Middle 
Falls  of  the  Gardiner  River,  situated  three  or 
four  miles  aw:iy  in  a  southerly  direction.  Here 
we  look  down  into  a  broad,  dark  caiion  consider- 
ably over  a  thousand  feet  deep,  and  whose  rough, 
precipitous    sides    are    nearlj'-    five    hundred    feet 


THE   GRAND   CANON.  25 

apart  at  tlie  summit,  gradually  narrowing  towards 
the  bottom.     The  Gardiner  River  flows  throiip-h 

O 

the  gorge,  having  at  one  place  an  unbroken  fall  of 
a  hundred  feet;  also  presenting  a  mad,  roaring, 
rushing  series  of  cascades  of  three  hundred  feet 
descent.  The  aspect  and  general  characteristics 
of  this  turmoil  of  waters  recalled  the  famous 
Falls  of  Trolhatta,  in  Sweden.  The  hoarse 
music  of  the  waters,  rising  through  the  branches 
of  the  pines  which  line  the  gorge,  pierce  the  ear 
with  a  thrilling  cadence  all  their  own,  while  the 
dark  canon  stretches  away  for  many  miles  in 
its  wild  and  sombre  grandeur.  It  is  well  to  visit 
this  spot  before  going  to  greater  distances  from 
the  hotel.  Impressive  as  it  is  sure  to  prove, 
there  is  yet  a  much  superior  featui-e  of  the  Park, 
of  similar  character,  which  remains  to  be  seen. 
We  refer  to  the  Grand  Canon  of  the  Yellowstone 
River,  where  an  immense  cataract  is  formed  by 
the  surging  waters  near  the  head  of  the  gorge, 
which  here  narrows  to  about  one  hundred  feet. 
The  volume  of  water  is  very  great  at  the  point 
where  it  rushes  over  a  ledge  nearly  four  hundred 
feet  in  height,  at  one  bold  leap.  This  is  known 
as  the  Lower  Fall,  there  being  another  half  a  mile 
above  it,  called  the  Upper  Fall,  which  is  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  high.  These  falls  are  more  pic- 
turesque, but  less  grand  than  the  Lower.  They 
are  presented  to  our  view  higher  up  among  the 
green  trees,  where  lovely  wild  flowers  and  wav- 
ing fei'ns  cling  to  the  rocks,  and  under  the  inspir- 
ing rays  of   the   sunlight  add  t^  their  brightness 


26  THE   NEW  ELDORADO. 

and  crystal  beauty.  A  waterfall,  like  an  oil- 
painting,  may  be  hung  in  a  good  or  a  disadvan- 
tageous position  as  to  light,  and  both  are  largely 
dependent  upon  this  contingenc}^  for  their  inspir- 
ing charm. 

The  Great  or  Lower  Fall  of  the  Yellowstone 
Caiion  is  twice  as  high  as  Niagara,  while  the  beau- 
tiful blazonry  on  the  walls  of  the  deep  gorge,  like 
some  huge  mosaic,  all  aglow  with  matchless  color, 
marvelous  in  opulence,  adds  a  fascinating  charm 
unknown  to  the  mammoth  fall  just  named. 
These  varied  hues  have  been  produced  by  the 
snow  and  frost,  vapor  and  sunshine,  the  lightning 
and  tlie  rain  of  ages,  acting  upon  certain  chemical 
constituents  of  the  native  rock.  This  is  said  to 
be  the  most  wonderful  mountain  gorge,  when  all 
of  its  belonginfjs  are  taken  into  consideration,  yet 
discovered.  It  is  over  twenty  miles  long,  and  is 
in  m;<ny  places  from  twelve  to  fifteen  hundied 
feet  deep.  The  author  has  visited  the  imposing 
canons  of  Colorado,  the  thrilling  gorges  of  the  Yo- 
semite,  and  some  of  still  greater  magnitude  in  the 
Himalayan  range  of  northern  India,  but  never 
has  he  seen  the  equal  of  this  Grand  Caiion  of  the 
Yellowstone,  or  beheld  so  high  a  waterfall  of 
equal  volume. 

A  siife  platform  has  been  erected  at  the  edge 
of  the  fall,  where  one  can  stand  and  witness  its 
amazing  plunge  of  over  three  hundred  and  fifty 
feet.  The  stranger  instinctively  holds  liis  breath 
while  watching  the  irresistible  volume  of  water  as 
it  advances,  and  follows  it  with  the  eye  into  tlj© 


VIEW  FROM  INSPIRATION  POINT.  27 

profound  depth  of  the  canon.  The  best  view  of  the 
goiw,  however,  is  thut  obtained  from  Lookout 
Point,  situated  about  a  mile  south  of  the  Lower 
J'all.  A  half  mile  farther  in  the  same  direction, 
and  at  the  same  elevation,  lies  Lispiration  Point, 
from  whence  a  more  comprehensive  outlook  may 
be  enjoyed,  Tlie  grouping  of  crags,  pinnacles, 
and  inaccessible  points  is  grand  and  inexpress- 
ibly beautiful.  Eagles'  nests  with  their  young  are 
visihie  at  eyries  quite  out  of  reach,  save  to  the 
monarch  bird  itself.  On  other  isolated  points,  far 
below  us,  are  seen  the  nests  of  fish-hawks,  whose 
builders  look  like  swallows  in  size  as  they  float 
upon  the  air,  or  dart  for  their  prey  into  the  swift, 
tumultuous  stream  that  threads  the  valley.  Gaz- 
ing upon  the  scene,  the  vastness  of  which  is  be- 
wildering, a  sense  of  reverence  creeps  over  us, 
—  reverence  for  that  Almighty  hand  whose  power 
is  here  recorded  in  such  unequaled  splendor.  At 
last  it  is  a  relief  to  turn  away  from  looking  into 
the  sheer  depth  and  reach  a  securer  basis  for  the 
feet.  Still  we  linger  until  the  sunset  shadows 
lengthen  and  pass  away,  followed  by  the  silvery 
moonlight.  Every  hour  of  the  day  has  its  peculiar 
charm  of  light  and  shade  as  seen  upon  the  cailon 
and  its  churning  waters. 

The  excursion  out  and  back  from  the  hotel  to 
view  the  principal  points  of  interest  in  the  neigh- 
borhood covers  a  distance  of  about  seven  miles 
through  the  woods  and  along  the  threatening  brink 
of  the  gorge.  A  rude  Indian  trail  affords  the  only 
means  of  reaching  the  several  outlooks.     Saddle- 


28  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

horses  are  supplied  for  the  excursion  by  the  hotel 
proprietor,  and  visitors  generally  avail  themselves 
of  this  mode  of  transportation.  The  horses  em- 
ployed for  the  service  are  remarkably  sagacious 
and  sure-footed.  Understanding  exactly  what  is 
required  of  them,  they  overcome  the  deep  pitclu^s 
and  abrupt  rises  of  the  narrow,  tortuous  way  witli 
great  ingenuity  and  caution.  At  times  one  is 
borne  so  near  the  brink  of  the  awful  chasm  as  to 
make  the  passage  rather  exciting.  It  must  bfe  ad- 
mitted that  a  single  misstep  on  the  part  of  the  ani- 
mal which  bears  him  would  hurl  horse  and  rider 
two  thousand  feet  down  the  cailon  to  instant  de- 
struction. There  is  no  barrier  between  the  cliff 
and  the  few  inches  of  earth  forming  the  path. 
Visitors  are  cautioned  at  starting  to  give  the 
horses  their  heads,  and  not  attempt  to  guide  them 
as  they  would  do  under  ordinary  circumstances. 
The  intelligent  animals  fully  comprehend  the  exi- 
gencies of  the  situation.  On  the  occasion  of  the 
writer's  visit  the  equestrian  party  consisted  of  nine 
persons,  including  the  guide ;  of  these,  two  ladies 
and  one  gentleman  abandoned  the  saddles  after  the 
first  mile,  finding  the  seeming  danger  too  much 
for  their  nerves,  and  completed  the  long  tramp  on 
foot. 

"  What  wonderful  majesty  and  beauty  are  hid- 
den here  from  an  unconscious  world,"  said  an  ex- 
perienced member  of  our  little  part}''  whom  chance 
had  brought  together  at  the  brink  of  the  gorge. 
"  Everybody  visits  Niagara,"  he  continued,  "  but 
few,  comparatively,  participate  in  the  glory  and 


A    GLASS  ROAD.  29 

loveliness  of  this  place,  and  yet  how  superior  in 
attraction  it  is  to  those  lines  of  summer  travel,  the 
Natural  Bridge  of  Virginia,  the  Mammoth  Cave 
of  Kentucky,  or  even  the  justly  famed  Yosemite 
Valley  ; " —  a  sentiment  which  all  heartily  indorsed. 

In  these  pages  we  pass  rapidly  from  one  great 
attraction  to  another,  because  we  have  only  a 
limited  space  in  which  to  speak  of  them,  but  the 
intelligent  and  appreciative  visitor  will  be  more 
leisurely  in  his  examination.  Hours  may  be  prof- 
itably occupied  in  the  careful  observation  and 
thorough  enjoyment  of  each  locality,  the  interest 
growing  by  what  it  feeds  upon.  One  hardly  real- 
izes the  passage  of  time  when  occupied  in  the 
contemplation  of  such  strange  and  absorbing  ob- 
jects, and  is  apt  to  linger  thoughtfully  until  he 
is  warned  by  the  business-like  suggestion  of  tiie 
guide. 

Another  interesting  spot  which  the  stranger 
will  hasten  to  visit  is  the  Obsidian  Cliffs,  situated 
about  a  dozen  miles  from  the  hotel.  These  sin- 
gular and,  so  far  as  Ave  know,  unique  cliffs  are 
formed  of  volcanic  glass,  and  measure  a  thousand 
feet  in  length  by  nearly  two  hundred  in  height, 
recalling  in  general  effect  the  Giant's  Causeway 
in  the  north  of  Ireland.  They  rise  in  almost 
vertical  columns  from  the  eastern  shore  of  Beaver 
Lake.  The  color  of  the  glass  is  dark  green,  like 
that  of  which  cheap  quart  bottles  are  made,  and 
though  the  glass  glistens  like  jet  it  is  opaque.  A 
carriage  road  has  been  provided,  —  a  glass  road, 
■ —  a  quarter  of  a  mile  long,  running  by  the  base 


30  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

of  the  cliffs.  To  construct  this  road  large  fires 
were  built  upon  the  obsidian  mass,  which,  when 
thoroughly  heated,  was  dashed  with  cold  water, 
causing  it  to  crack  and  crumble  to  pieces.  It  was 
a  tedious  undertaking,  but  an  available  roadway 
was  at  last  the  result. 

Close  at  hand  is  Beaver  Lake,  of  artificial  ori- 
gin, having  been  created  b}'  the  industrious  ani- 
mal after  which  it  is  named.  A  colony  have  here 
built  a  series  of  thirty  dams,  thus  forming  a  sheet 
of  water  of  considerable  depth,  half  a  mile  in 
width,  and  two  miles  long,  framed  by  tall,  straight 
pines,  and  covered  near  the  shore  with  aquatic 
flowers.  As  we  passed  the  lake,  in  its  shady  cor- 
ners were  seen  flocks  of  ducks  in  gaud}'  colors 
and  of  many  different  species,  while  on  the  far  side 
representatives  of  the  beaver  tribe  were  kind 
enough  to  exhibit  themselves  for  our  amusement. 
The  series  of  dams  which  these  little  creatures 
have  constructed  hereabouts  have  falls  of  from 
three  to  six  feet  each,  extending  for  a  distance  of 
nearly  two  miles.  The  lily  plants  which  bordered 
Beaver  Lake  were  of  a  curious  amber  color,  grow- 
ing here  and  there  in  groups  of  great  density. 
At  a  snap  of  the  driver's  whip  a  bev}-  of  wild 
ducks  rose,  but  lazily  settled  again  upon  the  water 
close  at  hand.  "  Tiiey  have  read  the  printed  reg- 
ulations of  the  Park,"  said  the  driver,  "  and  know 
that  no  one  wuU  attempt  to  shoot  them."  Beyond 
the  lake  are  broad  patches  of  level  meads,  sprin- 
kled \\\t\\  lovely  wild  flowers,  in  which  yellow, 
purple,  and  white  prevailed.     The  delicate  little 


THE  ABOEIGINES.  31 

phlox,  modestly  clinging  to  the  ground,  was  fra- 
grant above  all  the  rest.  Occasional  spots  border- 
ing the  pine  woods  showed  the  exquisite  enamel  of 
the  blue  violets,  which  emitted  their  familiar  and 
welcome  fi-agrance.  These  were  dominated  by  a 
tall,  regal  flower,  clustering  on  one  stem,  whose 
name  we  know  not,  but  which  formed  great  masses 
of  purple  bloom. 

Close  to  the  curious  and  interesting  Obsidian 
Cliffs  is  a  pleasant  resort  called  Willow  Park,  a 
cool,  shady  spot,  where  a  clear  stream  of  good 
water  flows  through  a  stretch  of  rich  pasture  land, 
forming  a  delightful  rural  picture,  full  of  peaceful 
and  poetic  suggestiveness.  This  is  a  favorite 
camping  ground  for  those  who  adopt  that  mode  of 
visiting  the  several  sections  of  the  Park. 

The  stranger  looks  about  him  in  silent  amaze- 
ment, wondering  how  long  Nature  has  been  dis- 
playing her  erratic  moods  after  the  fashion  exhib- 
ited here,  now  smiling  with  winning  tenderness, 
and  now  frowning  with  implacable  sternness.  He 
sees  everywhere  evidences  of  great  antiquity,  and 
beholds  objects  which  must  date  from  time  incal- 
culably remote,  but  there  is  no  recorded  history 
extant  of  this  strange  region.  The  original  Indian 
inhabitants  of  the  Park  were  a  very  peculiar  peo- 
ple, —  a  sort  of  gnome  race,  —  a  tribe  individually 
of  Liliputian  size,  who  lived  in  natural  caves,  of 
which  there  are  many  in  the  hills,  where  rude  and 
primitive  implements  of  domestic  use  belonging  to 
the  aborigines  have  been  found.  They  do  not 
seem  to  have  possessed  even  the  customary  leg- 


32  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

ends  of  savage  races  concerning  their  surroundings 
and  their  origin.  This  tribe,  the  former  dwellers 
here,  were  called  the  Sheep-eating  Indians,  be- 
cause they  lived  almost  solely  upon  the  flesh,  and 
clothed  themselves  in  the  skins,  of  the  big-horn 
sheep  of  these  mountains,  —  an  animal  which  is 
found  running  wild  in  more  or  less  abundance 
throughout  the  whole  northern  range  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  even  where  it  reaches  into  Alaska. 
These  natives  are  represented  to  have  been  a  timid 
and  harmless  people,  without  iron  tools  or  weap- 
ons of  any  sort,  except  bows  and  arrows,  to  which 
may  be  added  hatchets  and  knives  formed  of  the 
flint-like  volcanic  glass  indigenous  to  the  Park. 
They  were  an  isolated  people  from  the  very  na- 
ture of  their  country,  which  was  nearly  inaccessible 
at  all  seasons,  and  entirely  so  during  the  lung  and 
severe  winters. 

Other  native  tribes  were  debarred  from  this 
region  through  superstitious  fear,  induced  by  the 
incomprehensible  demonstrations  of  Nature  ex- 
hibited in  boiling  springs,  spouting  geysers,  and 
the  trembling  earth,  accompanied  by  subterranean 
explosions.  This  seemed  to  them  to  be  evidence 
of  the  wrath  of  the  Great  Spirit,  angered,  perhaps, 
by  their  unwelcome  presence.  The  Sheep-eaters, 
born  among  these  scenes;  gave  no  special  heed  to 
them,  and  rather  fostered  an  idea  which  prevented 
others  from  interfering  with  the  surrounding 
game,  and  which  also  gave  them  immunity  from 
the\otherwise  inevitable  oppression  of  a  stronger 
and  more  aggressive  people  than  themselves.     As 


J.\DIA\    IMPROVIDENCE.  33 

civilization  advanced  westward,  or  rather  as  the 
white  man  found  his  way  thither,  this  Yellowstone 
tribe  gradually  dwindled  away  or  became  united 
with  the  Shoshones  of  Iowa.  Their  individuality 
seems  now  to  have  been  entirely  lost,  not  a  trace 
of  them,  even,  being  discernible,  according  to 
more  than  one  intelligent  writer  upon  the  sub- 
ject. 

No  Indians  of  any  tribe  are  now  permitted  in 
the  reservation,  otherwise,  lazy  as  these  aborigines 
are,  they  would  soon  make  reckless  havoc  among 
the  fine  collection  of  wild  animals  which  is  gath- 
ered here.  The  Indians  are  all  in  the  annual 
receipt  of  money  and  ample  food  supplies  from 
the  government ;  and  the  killing  of  extra  game 
and  selling  the  hides  would  furnish  them  with 
only  so  many  more  dollars  to  be  expended  for 
whiskey  and  tobacco.  These  tribes  have  no  idea 
of  economy,  or  care  for  the  future.  The  reliance 
they  place  upon  government  supplies  promotes  a 
spirit  of  recklessness  aiid  extravagance.  If  their 
potato  crop  fails,  or  partial  famine  sets  in  from 
some  extraordinary  cause,  it  finds  them  utterly 
unprepared  to  meet  the  exigency.  Oftentimes  it 
is  found  that  the  government  rations  and  supplies 
have  been  sold,  and  the  money  received  therefor 
lavishly  squandered. 


CHAPTER   III. 

Norris  Geyser  Basin.  —  Fire  beneath  the  Surface.  —  A  Guide's 
Ideas.  —  The  Curious  Paiul  Pot  Basin.  —  Lower  Geyser 
Basin.  — Boiling  Springs  of  Many  Colors.  —  Mountain  Lions 
at  Play.  —  Midway  Geyser  Basin. — "Hell's  Half  Acre."  — 
Li  the  Midst  of  Wonderland.  — "  Old  Faithful." — Other  Active 
Geysers.  —  Erratic  Nature  of  these  Keinarkable  Fountains. 

A  PLEASANT  drive  of  twenty  miles  in  a  south- 
erly direction  from  the  Hot  Springs  Hotel,  through 
the  wildest  sort  of  scenerj',  over  mountain  roads 
and  beside  gorgeous  canons,  will  take  the  vis- 
itor to  the  Norris  Geyser  Basin,  a  spot  which 
promptly  recalled  to  the  writer  somewhat  similar 
scenes  witnessed  at  the  aboriginal  town  of  Ohine- 
niutu,  in  the  northern  part  of  New  Zealand. 
Clouds  of  sulphurous  vapor  constantly  hang  alike 
over  both  places,  produced  by  a  similar  cause, 
though  the  scene  here  is  far  more  vivid  and  de- 
monstrative. This  whole  basin  is  dotted  by  hot 
water  springs  and  fumaroles,  which  maintain  an 
incessant  hissing,  spluttering,  and  bubbling,  night 
and  day,  through  the  twelve  months  of  the  year. 
The  water  which  issues  from  these  sources  is  of 
various  colors,  according  to  the  impregnating  prin- 
ciple which  prevails,  the  yellow  sulphur  vats  being 
especially  conspicuous  to  the  sight  and  offensive  to 
the  smell.    What  a  strange,  weird  place  it  is  I     No 


A    GUIDE'S  IDEAS.  36 

art  could  successfully  imitate  these  extravagances 
of  Nature.  Some  of  the  rills'  are  cool,  others  are 
boiling  hot;  some  are  white,  some  pink  or  red, 
and  one  large  basin,  fifty  feet  across,  is  called  the 
Emerald  Pool,  because  of  its  intensely  green  color  ; 
yet  it  appears  to  be  quite  pure  and  transparent 
when  a  sample  is  taken  out  and  examined.  Each 
spring  seems  to  be  entirely  independent  of  the 
rest,  though  all  are  situated  so  near  to  each  other. 
An  almost  constant  tremor  of  the  earth  is  realized 
throughout  this  immediate  region,  as  though  only 
a  thin  crust  separated  the  visitor  from  aii  active 
volcano  beneath  his  feet ;  and,  notwithstanding  the 
various  scientific  theories,  who  can  say  that  such 
is  not  actually  the  case? 

"  I  know  all  about  the  idea  that  these  eruptions 
of  boiling  water,  steam,  and  sulphurous  gases  are 
produced  by  chemical  action,"  said  our  guide. 
"I've  heard  lots  of  scientific  men  talk  about  the 
subject,  but  I  don't  believe  nothing  of  the  sort." 

"  And  why  not  ?  "  we  asked. 

"  Do  you  believe,"  he  said,  "  that  chemical  ac- 
tion in  the  earth  could  create  power  enough,  first 
to  bring  water  to  212°  of  heat,  and  then  force  it  two 
hundred  feet  into  the  air  a  number  of  times  every 
day  in  a  column  four  or  five  feet  in  diameter,  and 
keep  it  up  for  quarter  of  an  hour  at  a  time?" 

"  Well,  it  does  seem  somewhat  problematical," 
we  were  forced  to  answer. 

"After  living  here  summer  and  winter  for  six 
years,"  he  said,  "  I  have  seen  enough  to  satisfy 
me  that  there  is  a  great  sulphurous  fire  far  down 


36  THE  SEW  ELDORADO. 

in  the  earth  below  us,  which,  if  the  steam  and 
power  it  acccumulates  did  not  find  vent  through 
the  hundreds  of  surface  outlets  distributed  all  over 
the  Paik,  would  seek  one  by  a  grand  volcanic 
outburst." 

"Put  your  hand  on  the  ground  just  here,"  he 
continued,  as  we  walked  over  a  certain  spot  where 
our  footfall  caused  a  reverberation  and  trembling 
of  the  soil. 

'•  It  is  almost  too  hot  for  the  flesh  to  bear,"  we 
said,  quickly  withdrawing  our  hand. 

"  Too  hot !  I  should  say  so.  Now  I  don't  be- 
lieve anything  but  a  burning  fire  can  produce  such 
heat  as  that,"  he  added,  with  an  expression  of  the 
face  which  seemed  to  imply,  '•  I  don't  believe  you 
do  either." 

"  The  original  volcanic  condition  of  this  whole 
region  seems  also  to  argue  in  favor  of  your  deduc- 
tions," we  replied. 

"That's  just  what  I  tell  'em,"  continued  the 
guide.  "  Them  big  fires  that  first  did  the  business 
for  this  neighboihood  are  still  smouldering  down 
below.     You  may  bet  your  life  on  that." 

This  rather  startling  idea  is  emphasized  by  a 
smoking  vent  close  at  hand,  which  is  also  con- 
stantly sending  forth  superheated  steam  and  sul- 
phurous gases,  like  the  extinct  volcano  of  Solfatara, 
near  Naples.  Sulphur  crystals  strew  the  ground, 
and  are  heaped  up  in  small  yellow  mounds.  Not 
far  away  an  intermittent  geyser  bursts  forth  every 
sixty  seconds  from  a  deep  hole  in  the  rock-bed  of 
the  basin,  showing  a  stream  of  water  six  inches  in 


GIBBON  PAINT  POT  BASIN.  37 

diameter,  and  sending  the  same  skyward  thirty  or 
forty  feet.  Here  also  is  a  powerful  geyser  called 
the  Monarch,  which  leaps  into  action  with  great 
regularity  once  in  twenty-four  hours,  throwing  a 
triple  stream  to  the  height  of  a  hundred  and  thirty 
feet,  and  continuing  to  do  so  for  the  space  of  fif- 
teen or  twenty  minutes.  Beneath  the  sun's  rays 
all  the  colors  of  the  prism  are  reflected  in  this  ver- 
tical column  of  w;iter,  and  not  infrequently  the 
distinct  arch  of  a  rainbow  is  suspended  like  a  halo 
about  its  crown.  Nature,  even  in  her  most  fantas- 
tic caprice,  is  always  beautiful. 

Tiiere  are  several  other  high-reaching  and  pow- 
erful geysers  in  this  vicinity,  but  we  will  not 
weary  the  reader  by  pausing  to  describe  them. 

Gibbon  Paint  Pot  Basin  is  next  visited,  being  a 
most  curious  area,  measuring  some  twenty  acres, 
more  or  less,  situated  in  a  heavily-wooded  district, 
not  far  from  Gibbon  Canon.  Here  is  a  most 
strange  collection  of  over  five  hundred  springs  of 
boiling,  splashing,  exploding  mud,  exhibiting  many 
distinct  colors,  which  gives  rise  to  the  name  it 
bears.  One  pot  is  of  an  emerald  green,  another  is 
as  blue  as  turquoise,  a  third  is  as  red  as  blood,  a 
fourth  is  of  orange  yellow,  another  is  of  a  rich 
cream  color  and  consistency.  The  visitor  is  struck 
by  the  singularity  of  this  hot-spring  system,  which 
produces  from  vents  so  close  together  colors  dia- 
metrically opposite.  The  earth  is  piled  up  about 
the  seething  pools,  making  small  mounds  all  over 
the  basin,  and  forming  a  series  of  pots  of  clay  and 
silicious  compounds.    Near  the  entrance  of  Gibbon 


38  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

Canon  is  a  remarkable  collection  of  extinct  gey- 
sers ;  the  tall,  slim,  crystallized  structures,  origiuat- 
ing  like  the  Liberty  Cap  already  described,  look 
like  genii  totem  poles,  corrugated  by  the  finger  of 
time,  and  forming  significant  monuments  of  by- 
gone eruptions,  while  the  surrounding  volcanoes 
were  slowly  exhausting  their  fury.  Even  about 
these  long-extinct  geysers  there  is  an  atmosphere 
indicating  their  former  intensity,  though  it  is  quite 
possible  they  may  have  been  sleeping  for  ten  cen- 
turies. 

The  locality  known  as  the  Lower  Geyser  Basin  is 
filled  with  striking  and  somewhat  similar  volcanic 
exhibitions,  though  there  are  more  hot  springs 
here  than  other  phenomena,  the  aggregate  number 
being  a  trifle  less  than  seven  hundred,  including 
seventeen  active  geysers.  In  some  respects  this  spot 
exceeds  in  interest  those  previously  visited,  being 
more  readily  surveyed  as  a  whole.  The  variety 
of  form  and  the  large  number  of  these  springs 
are  remarkable.  As  a  rule  they  are  less  sulphurous 
and  more  silicious  than  those  already  spoken  of. 
Here,  as  at  the  terraces  near  the  hotel,  the  last 
touch  of  beauty  is  imparted  by  the  sun's  rays 
forcing  themselves  through  the  Avhite  vapory 
clouds  which  are  thrown  off  by  the  mysteriously 
heated  waters.  One  of  the  large  basins,  meas- 
uring forty  by  sixty  feet,  is  filled  with  a  sort  of 
porcelain  slime,  notable  for  its  soft  rose  tints  and 
delicate  yellow  hues,  which  are  brought  out  with 
magic  effect  under  a  cloudless  sky.  This  basin 
has  an  elevation  of  over  seven  thousand  feet  above 


MIDWAY  GEYSER  BASIN.  39 

the  level  of  the  sea,  and  is  surrounded  by  heavily- 
"imbered  hills  which  are  four  and  five  hundred 
feet  higher.  Numerous  as  these  springs  and  gey- 
sers are,  each  one  is  strongly  individualized  by 
some  special  feature  which  marks  it  as  distinctive 
from  the  rest,  and  renders  it  recognizable  by  the 
residents  of  the  Park,  but  which,  however  inter- 
esting to  the  observing  visitor,  would  only  prove 
to  be  tedious  if  here  described  in  detail. 

While  sitting  at  twilight  on  the  piazza  of  the 
rude  little  inn  where  we  passed  the  night  in  this 
basin,  there  came  out  from  the  edge  of  the  wood 
on  to  a  broad  green  plateau  a  couple  of  long  tailed 
mountain  lions.  They  were  not  quite  full  grown, 
and  were  of  a  tawny  color.  These  creatures, 
savao^e  and  dangerous  enousjli  under  some  circum- 
stances,  seemed  half  tame  and  entiiely  fearless, 
playfully  romping  with  each  other,  and  exhibiting 
catlike  agility.  The  proprietor  of  the  inn  told 
us  that  not  long  since,  upon  a  dark  night,  they 
came  to  the  house  and  attacked  his  favorite  dog, 
killing  and  eating  him,  leaving  only  the  bones  to 
explain  his  disappearance  in  the  morning.  They, 
too,  must  have  read  the  regulations,  "  No  firearms 
permitted  in  the  Park." 

The  Midway  Geyser  Basin  is  situated  a  few 
miles  directly  south  of  that  just  spoken  of,  and 
contains  an  extraordinai'y  group  of  hot  springs, 
among  Avhieh  is  the  marvelous  Excelsior  Geyser, 
largest  in  the  known  world.  It  bursts  forth  from 
a  pit  two  Imndred  and  fifty  feet  in  diameter,  worn 
in  the  solid  rock,  and   which  is  at  all  times  rearlv 


40  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

full  of  boiling  water,  above  which  there  is  con- 
stantly floating  a  dense  column  of  steam,  which 
rising  slowly  is  borne  away  and  absorbed  by  the 
atmosphere.  The  water  which  flows  so  continu- 
ously over  the  brim  has  formed  a  series  of  terraces 
beaming  with  beautiful  tints.  This  stupendous 
fountain  is  intermittent,  giving  an  exhibition  of 
its  startling  powers  at  very  irregular  periods,  when 
it  is  said  to  send  up  a  column  of  water  sixty  feet 
in  diameter  to  a  height  ,of  from  fifty  to  one  hun- 
dred feet!  So  great  is  the  sudden  flood  thus  pro- 
duced in  the  Firehole  River,  which  is  here  between 
seventy-five  and  a  hundred  yards  broad,  that  it  is 
turned  for  the  time  being  into  a  furious  torrent  of 
steaming,  half-boiling  water.  The  Excelsior  has 
also  a  disagreeable  and  dangerous  habit  of  throw- 
ing up  hundred-pound  stones  and  metallic  debris 
with  this  great  volume  of  water,  while  the  sur- 
rounding earth  vibrates  in  sympath}'  with  the 
hidden  power  which  operates  so  mysterious!}'. 
Visitors  naturally  hasten  to  a  safe  distance  during 
these  moments  of  extraordinary  activity. 

About  midway  between  Firehole  and  the  Upper 
Geyser  Basin  is  a  strange,  unearthly,  vaporous 
piece  of  low  land,  which  is  endowed  with  a  name 
more  expressive  than  elegant,  being  called  "HelTs 
Half  Acre."  Here  again  it  seems  as  if  this  spot 
is  separated  from  the  raging  fires  below  by  only 
the  thinnest  crust  of  earth,  through  which  numer- 
ous boiling  springs  find  riotous  vent.  The  soil 
in  many  parts  is  burning  hot,  and  echoes  to  the 
tread  as  though  liable  to  open  at  any  moment  and 


HELL'S   HALF  ACRE.  41 

swallow  the  venturesome  stranger.  During  the 
season  of  1888,  a  lady  visitor  who  stepped  upon  a 
thin  place  sank  nearly  out  of  sight,  and  though  in- 
stantly rescued  by  her  friends,  slie  was  so  severely 
scalded  as  to  be  confined  to  her  bed  for  a  montli 
and  more  at  the  Mammoth  Springs  Hotel.  U'lie 
air  is  filled  with  fumes  of  sulphui',  and  the  place 
would  seem  to  be  appropriately  named.  There 
are  forty  springs  in  this  "  Half  Acre,"  which,  by 
the  way,  occupies  ten  times  the  space  which  the 
name  indicates,  where  the  seething  and  bubbling 
noise  is  like  the  agonized  wailing  of  lost  spirits. 
The  place  has  another,  and  perhaps  better,  desig- 
nation besides  this  satanic  title,  namely,  Egeria 
Springs.  Great  is  the  contrast  between  the  heav- 
ens above  and  the  direful  suggestions  of  the  earth 
below,  as  we  behold  it  under  the  serene  beauty  of 
the  blue  sky  which  jtrevails  here  in  the  summer 
montlis,  and  which  renders  camping  out  in  the 
Park  delightful.  '^  You  should  come  here  during 
a  thunder-storm,"  said  our  companion,  who  is  a 
dweller  in  this  region.  "  I  have  done  so  twice," 
he  continued,  "  simply  to  witness  the  fitness  of  the 
association  :  rolling  thunder  overhead  and  flashes 
of  lightning  in  the  atmosphere,  through  which  the 
boiling  vats,  hissing  pools,  and  steaming  fissures 
are  seen  in  full  operation,  as  though  they  were  a 
part  and  parcel  of  the  electric  turmoil  agitating 
the  sky." 

It  is  impossible  to  appreciate  these  various  phe- 
nomena in  a  single  hurried  visit.  Like  the  Falls 
of  Niagara,  or  the  Pyramids  of  Gizeh,  they  must 


42  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

become  in  some  degree  familiar  to  the  observer 
before  he  will  be  able  to  form  a  complete,  intelli- 
gent, and  satisfactory  impression  which  will  re- 
main with  him.  One  cannot  grasp  the  full  sig- 
niHcance  of  such  accumulated  wonders  at  sight. 
We  look  about  us  among  the  green  trees  that  bor- 
der the  open  areas,  surprised  to  behold  the  calm 
sunshine,  the  tuneful  birds,  and  the  chattering 
squirrels,  moved  by  their  normal  instincts,  utterly 
regardless  of  these  myriad  surrounding  marvels. 

The  grandest  spouting  springs  are  to  be  found 
in  Upper  Geyser  Basin,  where  there  are  twenty- 
five  active  fountains  of  this  character.  Here  is 
situated  the  famous  "  Old  Faithful,"  which,  from 
a  mound  rising  gradually  about  six  or  eight  feet 
above  the  surroimding  level,  emits  a  huge  column 
of  boiling  water  for  five  or  six  minutes  in  each 
hour  with  never-failing  regularity,  while  it  gives 
forth  at  all  times  clouds  of  steam  and  heated  air. 
The  height  reached  by  the  waters  of  this  thermal 
fountain  varies  from  eighty  to  one  hundred  and 
twenty  feet,  and  it  has  earned  its  expressive  name 
by  never  failing  to  be  on  time.  It  seemed,  some- 
how, to  be  a  more  satisfactory  representative  of  the 
spouting  spring  phenomenon  than  any  other  in 
the  entire  Park,  though  it  would  be  difficult  to  say 
exactly  why.  Its  prominent  position,  dominating 
the  rest  of  the  geysers  of  the  basin,  gives  it  special 
effect.  Irrespective  of  all  other  similar  exhibi- 
tions, the  stately  column  of  "Old  Faithful"  rises 
heavenward  with  splendid  effect  in  the  broad  light 
of  day,  or  in  the  still  hours  of  the  night,  once  in 


THE  BEEHIVE  AND   THE   GIANTESS.        43 

every  sixty  minutes,  as  uniformly  as  the  rotation 
of  the  second-hand  of  a  watch.  The  effect  was 
ghostly  at  midnight  under  the  sheen  of  the  moon 
and  the  contrasting  shadows  of  the  woods  near  at 
hand,  while  not  far  away,  across  the  Firehole 
River,  tlie  lesser  geysers  were  exhibiting  their  er- 
ratic performances,  casting  up  occasional  crystal 
columns,  which  glistened  in  the  silvery  light  like 
pendulous  glass.  There  is  quite  a  large  group  of 
geysers  in  this  immediate  vicinity,  which  perform 
with  notable  regularity  at  stated  periods.  Thei'e  is 
one  called  the  Beehive,  because  of  its  vent,  which 
has  a  resemblance  to  an  old-fashioned  straw  arti- 
cle of  the  sort,  the  crater  being  about  three  feet 
in  height.  The  author  saw  this  spring  throw 
up  a  stream  three  feet  in  diameter  nearly  or  quite 
two  hundred  vertical  feet  for  eight  or  ten  minutes, 
when  it  gradually  subsided.  There  are  over  four 
hundred  geysers  and  boiling  springs  in  this  basin. 
Among  them  is  the  Giantess,  situated  four  hun- 
dred feet  from  the  Beehive,  which  does  not  dis- 
play its  powers  oftener  than  once  in  ten  or  twelve 
days;  but  when  the  eruption  does  take  place,  it 
is  said  to  exceed  all  the  rest  in  the  height  which 
it  attains  and  the  length  of  time  during  which  it 
operates.  It  has  no  raised  crater,  but  comes  forth 
from  a  vent  even  with  the  surface  of  the  ground, 
thirty-four  feet  in  length  and  twenty-four  in 
width.  When  it  is  in  action,  so  great  is  the  force 
expended  that  miniature  earthquakes  are  felt 
throughout  the  immediate  neighborhood.  There 
are   seen,  not  far  away,  the  Lion,  Lioness,  Young 


44  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

Faithful,  the  Grotto,  the  Splendid,  etc.,  each  one 
more  or  less*  operative.  We  have  by  no  means 
enumerated  all  the  active  fountains  in  this  basin, 
seeking  only  to  designate  their  general  character. 
However  well  prepared  for  the  outburst,  one  can- 
not but  feel  startled  when  a  geyser  suddenly  rises, 
mysteriously  and  ghost-like,  close  at  hand,  from 
out  the  deep  bowels  of  the  earth,  its  white  form 
growing  taller  and  taller,  while  the  spray  expands 
like  weird  and  shrouded  arms.  To  heighten  this 
sepulchral  effect  the  atmosphere  is  full  of  sulphur- 
ous vapors,  while  strange  noises  fall  upon  the  ear 
like  subterranean  thunder.  What  puzzling  mys- 
teries Nature  holds  concealed  in  her  dark,  earthy 
bosom  ! 

Let  us  not  forget  to  mention,  in  this  connection, 
one  of  the  largest  fountains  of  the  Kirehole  Basin, 
namely,  the  Grand  Geyser,  which  is  placed  next 
to  the  Excelsior  in  size  and  performance.  This 
fountain  has  no  raised  cone,  and  operates  once  in 
about  thirty-six  hours.  Of  course  the  visitor  is 
not  able  to  s(^e  each  and  all  of  these  strange  foun- 
tains in  operation.  He  might  remain  a  month 
upon  the  ground  and  not  do  so ;  consequently,  he 
is  obliged  to  take  some  of  the  dimensions  and  per- 
formances on  trust ;  but  most  of  the  staten)ents 
which  ai-e  made  to  him  can  easily  be  verified. 

When  this  Grand  Geyser  is  about  to  burst  forth, 
the  deep  basin,  which  is  twenty  feet  and  more 
across,  first  gradually  fills  with  furiously  boiling 
water  until  it  overflows  the  brim  ;  then  it  becomes 
shrouded  by  heavy  volumes  of  steam,  out  of  which 


VARYING  ACTION  OF  THE   GEYSERS.       45 

come  several  loud  reports,  like  the  discharge  of  a 
small  cannon,  when  suddenly  tlie  whole  body  of 
water  is  lifted,  and  a  column  ten  or  twelve  feet 
in  diameter  rises  to  a  height  of  ninety  feet,  from 
the  apex  of  which  a  lesser  stream  mounts  many 
feet  higher,  until  the  earth  trembles  with  the  force 
of  the  discharge  and  falling  water  as  it  rushes 
towards  the  river.  This  strange  exhibition  lasts 
for  eight  or  ten  minutes,  then  the  fountain  slowly 
subsides,  with  hoarse  mutterings,  like  some  re- 
treating and  overmastered  wild  beast,  growling 
sullenly  as  it  disappears. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  these  geysers  vary 
greatly  in  their  action,  in  the  duration  of  their 
eruptions,  and  in  the  intervals  which  elapse  be- 
tween the  performances.  Some  of  them  labor  as 
though  the  water  was  slowly  pumped  up  from  vast 
depths,  some  burst  foith  with  full  vigor  to  their 
highest  point  at  once,  while  others  become  ex- 
hausted with  a  brief  effort.  There  are  a  few  that 
subside  only  to  again  commence  spouting,  being 
thus  virtually  continuous;  but  these  are  not  of 
such  power  as  to  throw  tlieir  streams  to  a  great 
height.  One  group  of  this  sort  is  called  the  Min- 
ute Men,  some  of  wliii-h  spout  sixty  times  within 
the  hour ;  others  eject  small  streams  incessantly. 

This  immediate  valley  is  very  irregular  in  sur- 
face and  thickly  wooded  in  parts,  showing  also  the 
ruins  of  many  extinct  geysers.  It  is  a  dozen  miles 
long  and  between  two  and  three  wide,  literally 
crowded  with  wonders  from  end  to  end.  It  con- 
tains a  collection  of  boiling  and  spouting  springs 


46  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

on  a  scale  which  would  belittle  all  similar  phenom- 
ena of  the  rest  of  the  known  world,  could  they  be 
brought  together. 

As  the  reader  will  have  understood,  the  period 
of  activity  with  all  the  geysers  is  more  or  less 
irregular,  except  in  the  instance  of  Old  Faithful. 
We  have  no  knowledge  of  a  simultaneous  erup- 
tion having  ever  taken  place.  Many  of  these 
active  springs  which  now  exist  will,  doubtless, 
sooner  or  later  subside  and  new  ones  will  form  to 
take  their  places,  a  process  which  has  been  going 
on,  no  one  can  even  guess  for  how  many  ages. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Great  Yellowstone  Lake. — Myriads  of  Birds.  —  Solitary 
Beauty  of  the  Lake.  —  The  Flora  of  the  Park.  — Devastating 
Fires.  —  Wild  Animals.  —  Grand  Volcanic  Centre. — Moun- 
tain Climbing  and  Wonderful  Views. — A  Story  of  Discovery. 
—  Government  Exploration  of  the  Reservation.  —  Governor 
Washburn's  Expedition.  —  "  For  the  Benefit  of  the  People  at 
Large  Forever." 

In  the  southern  section  of  the  Yellowstone  Park, 
near  its  longitudinal  centre,  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  yet  lonely  lakes  imaginable,  framed  in  a 
margin  of  sparkling  sands,  and  surrounded  by  Al- 
pine heights.  One  stretch  of  the  shore  about  five 
miles  long  is  called  Diamond  Beach ;  the  volcanic 
material  of  which  it  is  formed,  being  entirely  ob- 
sidian, reflects  the  sun's  rays  like  btilliant  gems, 
while  the  beach  is  caressed  by  wavelets  scarcely 
less  bright.  Surrounded  by  many  wonders,  the 
lake  is  itself  a  great  surprise,  lying  in  the  bosom 
of  rock-ribbed  mountains  at  an  elevation  of  nearly 
eiglit  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  We  know  of 
but  one  other  large  body  of  water  on  the  globe  at 
any  such  height,  namely,  Lake  Titicaca,  in  South 
America,  famous  in  Peruvian  history.  The  Yel- 
lowstone Lake  is  always  of  crystal  clearness,  and 
is  fed  from  the  eternal  snow  that  piles  itself  up 
on  the  lofty  peaks  which  surround  it,  and  which 
are  sharply  outlined  in  all  directions  against  the 


48  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

blue  of  the  sky.  The  outlet  of  the  lake  is  the 
Yellowstone  Iviver,  which  issues  from  the  northern 
end,  while  the  Upper  Yellowstone  runs  into  it  on 
the  opposite  side.  The  lake  is  twenty-two  miles 
long  by  fifteen  in  width,  and  has  an  area  of  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  square  miUs.  Its  greatest  depth 
is  three  hundred  ft^et,  and  it  is  overstocked  with 
trout,  many  of  which,  unfortunately,  are  infested 
by  a  pai'asitic  worm  which  renders  them  unfit  for 
food ;  but  this  is  not  the  case  with  all  the  fish  ;  a 
large  portion  are  good  and  wholesome.  Geologists 
find  sufficient  evidence  to  satisfy  them  that  this 
lake,  now  narrowed  to  the  dimensions  just  given, 
in  ancient  times  covered  two  thirds  of  the  present 
Park.  Aquatic  birds  abound  upon  its  broad  sur- 
face, and  build  their  myriad  nests  on  its  green 
islands.  They  are  of  many  species,  comprising 
geese,  cranes,  swans,  snipe,  mallards,  teal,  cur- 
lew, plover,  and  ducks  of  various  sorts.  Pelicans 
swim  about  in  long  white  lines ;  herons,  in  their 
delicate  ash -colored  plumage,  stand  idly  on  the 
shore,  while  ermine-feathered  gulls  fill  the  air 
with  their  loud  and  tuneless  serenade.  Hawks, 
kingfishers,  and  ravens  also  abound  on  the  shore, 
the  first-named  watching  other  birds  as  they  rise 
from  the  water  witli  fish,  which  the}'^  make  it  their 
business,  freebooter-like,  to  rob  them  of.  The 
lake  has  many  thickly-wooded  islands,  and  there 
are  several  long,  pine-covered  promontories  which 
stretch  out  in  a  graceful  manner  from  the  main- 
land, the  whole  forming  a  grand  primeval  solitude. 
Now  and  again  a  solitary  eagle,  on  broad-spread 


YELLOWSTONE  LAKE.  49 

pinions,  sails  away  from  the  top  of  some  lofty  pine 
on  the  mountain  side  to  the  deep  green  seclusion 
of  the  nearest  island.  Even  the  presence  of  this 
proud  and  austere  bird  only  serves  to  emphasize 
the  grave  and  solemn  loneliness  which  rests  upon 
the  locality. 

It  is  a  charming  feature  of  this  placid  lake 
which  causes  it  to  gather  into  its  bosom  a  picture 
of  all  things  far  and  near :  the  clouds,  "  those 
playful  fancies  of  the  mighty  sky,"  seem  to  float 
upim  its  surface  ;  the  blue  of  the  heavens  is  re- 
flected there  ;  the  tall  peaks  and  wooded  slopes 
mirror  themselves  in  its  depths.  As  we  look  upon 
the  lake  through  the  purple  haze  of  sunset,  a  pic- 
ture is  presented  of  surpassing  loveliness,  tinted 
with  blue  and  golden  hues,  which  creep  lovingly 
closer  and  closer  about  the  quiet  isles;  while  there 
come  from  out  the  forest  resinous  pine  odors,  de- 
lightfully soothing  to  the  senses,  accompanied  by 
the  soft  music  of  swaying  branches,  and  the  low 
drone  of  insect  life. 

To  linger  over  such  a  scene  is  a  joy  and  an  in- 
spiration to  the  experienced  traveler,  who,  in 
wandering  hither  and  thither  upon  the  globe, 
places  an  occasional  white  stone  at  certain  points 
to  which  memory  turns  with  never-failing  pleas- 
ure, 'ilius  he  recalls  a  sunrise  over  the  silvery 
peaks  of  the  grand  Himalayan  range  ;  a  thrilling 
view  from  the  Mosque  of  Mahomet  Ali  at  Cairo, 
localizing  Biblical  story  ;  or  a  summer  sunset-glow 
on  the  glassy  mirror  of  the  Yellowstone  Lake. 

Along  the  mountain  side^  east  of  the  lake,  are 


60  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

ancient  terraces,  indented  shorelines,  and  other 
evidences  which  clearly  prove  that,  at  no  very 
remote  geological  period,  the  surface  of  this  grand 
sheet  of  water  was  at  least  five  or  six  hundred  feet 
higher  than  it  is  at  the  present  time.  Nearly  two 
hundred  square  miles  of  the  Park  are  still  covered 
by  lakes. 

As  to  the  flora  of  the  Yellowstone  Park,  seventy- 
five  per  cent,  of  the  whole  area  seems  to  be  covered 
by  dense  forests,  the  black  fir  being  the  most  plen- 
tiful, often  growing  to  three  or  four  feet  in  diam- 
eter and  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  height.  The 
white  pine  is  the  most  graceful  among  the  indig- 
enous trees,  and  is  always  remarkable  for  its 
statel}'  symmetrical  beauty.  The  thick  groves  of 
balsam  fir  are  particularly  fine  and  fragrant,  while 
the  dwarf  maples  and  willows  are  charming  fea- 
tures as  they  mingle  abundantly  with  larger  and 
more  pi-etentious  trees.  Wild  flowers.  Nature's 
bright  mosaics,  are  found  in  great  variety  during 
the  summer,  though  there  is  rarely  a  night  in  this 
neighborhood  without  frost,  while  the  winters  are 
truly  arctic  in  temperature.  The  larkspur,  col- 
umbine, harebell,  lupin,  and  primrose  abound, 
with  occasional  daisies  and  other  blossoms.  Yel- 
low water-lilies,  anchored  by  their  fragile  steins, 
profusel}'  sprinkle  and  beautify  the  surface  of  the 
shady  pools.  Exquisite  ferns,  lichens,  and  vel- 
vety mosses  delight  the  appreciative  eye  in  many 
a  sylvan  nook  which  is  only  invaded  by  squirrels 
and  song-birds. 

Here,  as  in   the  valley  of  the  Yosemite,  it  is 


WILD  ANIMALS.  61 

melancholy  to  see  the  track  of  devastating  fires 
caused  by  the  half -extinguished  blaze  left  by  care- 
less camping  parties.  It  is  difficult  to  idealize  how 
intelligent  people  can  be  so  wickedly  i*eckless  as 
to  cause  such  destruction.  Many  a  forest  mon- 
arch stands  bereft  of  every  limb  by  the  devouring 
flames,  and  large  areas  are  entirely  denuded  of 
growth  other  than  the  shrubbery  which  springs 
up  quickly  after  a  sweeping  fire  in  the  woods,  as 
though  Nature  desired  to  cover  from  sight  the 
devastating  footsteps  of  the  Fire  King.  The 
grasses  grow  luxuriantly,  especially  alpine,  timo- 
thy, and  Kentucky  blue  grass. 

There  are  many  wild  animals  in  the  Park,  such 
as  elk,  deer,  antelope,  big-horn  sheep,  foxes,  buf- 
falo, and  what  is  called  the  California  lion,  a  small 
but  rather  dangerous  animal  for  the  hunter  to 
encounter.  The  buffalo  is  rarely  seen  in  the 
West,  and  it  is  said  is  now  only  to  be  found  wild 
in  this  Park.  The  streams  and  creeks  also  swarm 
with  otter,  beaver,  and  mink.  These  animals  are 
all  protected  by  law,  visitors  being  only  permitted 
to  shoot  such  birds  as  they  can  cook  and  eat  in 
their  camps,  together  witli  any  species  of  bear 
they  may  chance  to  fall  in  with  ;  and  there  are 
several  kinds  of  the  latter  animal  to  be  found  in 
the  hills.  At  least  this  has  been  the  case  until 
lately  ;  but  stricter  rules  have  been  found  neces- 
sary, and  no  visitors  are  now  permitted  to  take 
firearms  with  them  while  remaining  in  the  Park. 
The  purpose  of  the  government  is  to  strictly  pre- 
serve the  game,  the  effect  of  which  has  already 


62  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

been  to  render  the  animals  gathered  here  less  shy 
of  human  approach,  and  to  greatly  increase  their 
number. 

So  abundant  are  the  evidences  of  grand  vol- 
canic action  throughout  the  lake  basin  that  it  has 
been  looked  upon  by  scientists  as  the  remains  or 
centre  of  one  enormous  crater  forty  miles  across  ! 
Dr.  Hayden,  the  profound  geologist,  who  was  sent 
professionally  by  the  government  to  report  upon 
the  Park,  declares  it  to  have  been  the  former 
scene  of  volcanic  activity  as  great  as  that  of  any 
part  of  this  planet,  a  conclusion  which  the  ob- 
server of  to-day  is  quite  ready  to  admit,  inasmuch 
as  the  subsidence  has  yet  left  enough  of  the  orig- 
inal forces  to  demonstrate  the  sleeping  power 
which  still  lurks  restlessly  beneath  the  soil.  We 
wonder,  standing  amid  such  remarkable  surround- 
ings, how  many  centuries  have  passed  since  the 
valley  assumed  its  present  shape.  Everything  is 
indicative  of  high  antiquity,  and  it  is  probably 
rather  thousands  than  hundreds  of  years  since 
this  volcanic  centre  was  at  its  maximum  power 
and  activity.  The  valley  has  been  partly  exca- 
vated out  of  ancient  crystalline  rocks,  partly  out 
of  later  stratified  formations,  and  partly  from 
masses  of  lava  that  were  poured  forth  during  a 
succession  of  ages  which  make  up  the  different 
epochs  of  the  earth's  long  histor3\ 

The  lowest  level  of  the  Park  is  about  six  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  sea,  and  the  average  elevation, 
independent  of  mountains,  is  much  over  this  esti- 
mate.    It  is  very  properly  designated  as  the  sum- 


MOUNT  WASHBURN.        •  53 

mit  of  the  continent,  and  gives  rise  to  three  of  the 
largest  livers  in  North  America,  namely :  on  the 
north  side  are  the  sources  of  the  Yellowstone ;  on 
the  west,  three  of  the  forks  of  the  Missouri ;  and 
on  the  southwest  are  the  sources  of  the  Snake 
River,  which  flows  into  the  Columbia,  and  thence 
to  the  distant  Pacific  Ocean. 

If  possible,  before  leaving  the  neighborhood, 
the  visitor  should  ascend  Mount  Washburn,  the 
highest  point  of  observation  within  the  great 
reservation,  a  feat  easily  accomplished  on  hoise- 
back.  Such  an  excursion  is  particularly  desirable 
since  all  the  scenery  of  the  Park  is  circumscribed 
while  we  are  at  the  level  of  its  springs,  geysers, 
and  lakes.  The  grand  view  from  this  elevation 
will  repay  all  the  time  and  effort  expended  in  its 
accomplishment.  Its  height  above  the  base  is  five 
thousand  feet,  its  height  above  the  sea  five  thou- 
sand moie.  A  clear  day  is  absolutely  necessary 
for  the  proper  enjoyment  of  such  an  excursion, 
in  order  to  bring  out  fairly  the  panorama  of  for- 
ests, lakes,  prairies,  and  mountains,  decked  by 
the  golden  glory  of  the  sunshine.  In  some  direc- 
tions the  vision  reaches  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
through  space.  Here,  on  the  snmmit  of  Mount 
Washburn,  we  virtually  stand  upon  the  apex  of 
the  North  American  continent,  if  we  except  one 
or  two  of  the  sky-reaching  peaks  of  the  Territory 
of  Alaska. 

As  we  face  the  north,  just  before  us  lies  the 
valley  of  the  Yellowstone,  and  in  the  distance, 
looming   far   above    its    suiroundings,   is   the    tall 


64  •     THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

Emiorrant   Peak.       To    the    eastward   Index   and 
o 

Pilot  peaks  pierce  the  clouds,  beyond  wliich 
stretches  away  the  Big  Horn  Range.  In  the 
West  the  summits  of  the  Gallatin  Mountains  fol- 
low one  another  northward,  while  trending  in  the 
same  direction,  but  farther  towards  the  horizon, 
is  the  lofty  Madison  Range.  We  gaze  until  be- 
wildered by  peak  after  peak,  mountain  beyond 
mountain,  range  upon  range,  mingling  with  each 
other,  all  combining  to  form  a  glorious  view  em- 
bodying the  indescribably  grand  characteristics  of 
the  Rocky  Mountain  system,  the  equal  of  whicli 
we  may  never  again  behold. 

The  tall  range  of  mountains  which  girdle  the 
Park  are  snow-covered  all  the  year  round,  frigid, 
giant  sentinels,  which  long  proved  a  complete 
barrier  to  organized  exploration,  forming  an  amphi- 
theatre of  sublime  and  lonely  scenery.  The  story 
of  the  discovery  of  this  Wonderland  is  briefly  told 
as  follows  :  It  seems  that  a  gold-seeking  prospector 
named  Coulter  made  his  way  with  infinite  per- 
severance into  the  region  in  1807,  and  after  many 
hair-bieadth  escapes  from  Indians,  wild  beasts, 
poisonous  waters,  and  starvation,  finally  succeeded 
in  rejoining  his  comrades,  whom  he  entertained 
with  stories  of  what  he  had  seen,  which  seemed 
to  them  so  incredible  that  they  believed  him  to  be 
crazy.  Afterwards,  first  one  and  then  another  ad- 
venturer found  his  way  hither,  and  though  each  of 
them  corroborated  Coulter's  story,  they  were  by 
no  means  fully  credited.  But  public  attention  and 
curiosity  were  thus  aroused,  leading  the  govern- 


GOVERNOR    WASHBURN'S  EXPEDITION.     55 

ment  to  send  Professor  Hayden  and  a  small  ex- 
ploring party  to  carefully  examine  the  region. 
This  enterprise  not  only  corroborated  the  stories 
already  made  public,  but  greatly  added  to  their 
volume  and  amazing  detail. 

It  was  found  that  the  representations  of  Coulter 
and  those  who  followed  him,  so  far  from  exaggerat- 
ing the  wonders  of  the  Yellowstone,  in  reality  fell 
far  below  the  truth. 

During  the  year  1870  Governor  Washburn, 
accompanied  by  a  small  body  of  United  States 
cavalry,  entered  the  Park  by  the  valley  of  the 
Yellowstone,  and  thoroughly  explored  the  canons, 
the  shores  of  the  great  lake,  and  the  geyser  region 
of  Firehole  River,  together  with  the  various  in- 
teresting localities  of  which  we  have  spoken.  On 
returning  he  declared  that  the  party  had  seen  the 
greatest  marvels  to  be  found  upon  this  continent, 
and  that  there  was  no  other  spot  on  the  globe 
where  there  were  crowded  together  so  many  natu- 
ral wonders,  combined  with  so  much  beauty  and 
grandeur. 

Finally  Congress,  foi'eseeing  that  the  greed  of 
speculators  would  lead  them  to  monopolize  this 
Wonderland  for  mercenary  purposes,  promptly 
took  action  in  the  matter,  setting  the  region  aside 
as  a  National  Park  and  Reservation,  for  the  benefit 
of  the  people  at  large  forever,  retaining  the  fee 
and  control  of  the  same  in  the  name  of  the  gov- 
ernment. 

Not  many  persons  have  ever  attempted  to 
traverse  the  Park  in  the  winter  season,  but  it  has 


5&  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

been  done  by  a  few  hardy  and  adventurous  people, 
wlio  nearly  peiislied  in  the  attempt.  Such  indi- 
viduals have  reported  that  the  raging  snow-storms 
and  blizzards  which  they  encountered  were  on  a 
scale  quite  equal  to  the  other  demonstrations  and 
•natural  curiosities  of  the  place.  The  trees  in  their 
neigliborhood  were  beautifully  gemmed  with  the 
frozen  vapor  of  the  geysers,  and  the  heated  sprin^^s 
seemed  doubly*  active  by  the  contrast  between 
their  temperature  and  that  of  the  freezing  atmos- 
phere. It  was  only  by  camping  at  night  upon  the 
very  brink  of  these  boiling  waters  that  life  couM 
be  sustained,  with  the  atmosphere  at  forty  degrees 
below  zero. 

One  who  comes  hither  with  preconceived  ideas 
of  the  peculiar  sights  to  be  met  with  is  sure  to  be 
disappointed,  not  in  their  want  of  strangeness,  for 
the  Park  is  overstocked  with  curiosities  having 
no  counterpart  elsewhere,  but  the  features  are  so 
thoroughly  unique  that  his  anticipations  are  tran- 
scended both  in  the  quality  and  the  quantity  of 
the  food  for  wonder  whicli  is  spread  out  before 
him  on  every  side. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Westward  Journey  resumed.  —  Queen  City  of  the  Mountains.— 
Crossing  the  Rocliies.  —  Butte  City,  the  Great  Mining  Centre. 
—  Montana.  —  The  Red  Men.  —  About  the  Aborigines.  —  The 
Cowboys  of  the  West.  —  A  Successful  Hunter.  —  Emigrant 
Teams  on  the  Prairies.  —  Immense  Forests. — Puget  Sound. — 
The  Famous  Stampede  Tunnel.  —  Immigration. 

After  a  delightful,  though  brief,  sojourn  of  ten 
days  in  the  Yellowstone  Park,  realizing  that  twice 
that  length  of  time  might  be  profitably  spent 
therein,  we  returned  to  Livingston,  where  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railroad  was  once  more  reached, 
and  the  westward  journey  promptly  resumed.  The 
Belt  Range  of  mountains  is  soon  crossed,  at  an 
elevation  of  over  five  thousand  five  hundred  feet. 
A  remarkable  tunnel  is  also  passed  through,  three 
thousand  six  hundred  feet  in  length,  from  which 
the  train  emerges  into  a  grand  canon,  and  soon 
arrives  at  the  city  of  Bozeman.  This  place  has 
a  thrifty  and  intelligent  population  of  over  five 
thousand,  and  is  notable  for  its  rural  and  pictur- 
esque surroundings,  in  the  fertile  Gallatin  Valley, 
which  is  encircled  by  majestic  ranges  of  moun- 
tains, shrouded  in  "  white,  cold,  virgin  snow." 
Having  passed  the  point  where  the  Madison  and 
Jefferson  rivers  unite  to  form  the  headwaters  of 
that  great  river,    the   Missouri,    whence  it  starts 


68  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

upon  its  long  and  winding  course  of  over  four 
thousand  miles  towards  the  Mexican  Gulf,  we 
arrive  presently  at  Helena,  the  interesting  capital 
of  Montana.  This  is  called  the  "  Queen  City  of 
the  Mountains,"  and  is  famous  as  a  great  and  suc- 
cessful mining  centre,  the  present  population  of 
which  is  about  twenty  thousand.  It  is  said  to 
be  the  richest  city  of  its  size  in  the  United  States, 
an  assertion  which  we  have  good  reasons  for  be- 
lieving to  be  correct.  The  vast  mineral  region 
surrounding  Helena  is  unsurpassed  anywhere  for 
the  number  and  richness  of  its  gold  and  silver- 
bearing  lodes,  having  within  an  area  of  twenty- 
five  miles  over  three  thousand  such  natural 
deposits,  the  ownership  of  which  is  duly  recorded, 
and  many  of  wiiich  are  being  profitably  worked. 
The  city  is  lighted  by  a  system  of  electric  lamps, 
and  has  an  excellent  water-supply  from  inex- 
haustible mountain  streams. 

We  were  told  an  authentic  story  illustrating  the 
richness  of  the  soil  in  and  about  Helena,  as  a  gold- 
bearing  earth,  which  we  repeat  in  brief. 

It  seems  that  a  resident  was  digging  a  cellar  on 
which  to  place  a  foundation  for  a  new  dwelling- 
house,  when  a  passing  stranger  asked  permission 
to  lemove  the  pile  of  earth  that  was  being  thrown 
out  of  the  excavation,  agreeing  to  return  one  half 
of  whatever  value  he  could  get  fioni  the  same, 
after  washing  and  submitting  it  to  the  usual  treat- 
ment by  which  gold  is  extracted.  Permission  was 
granted,  and  the  earth  was  soon  removed.  The 
citizen  thought  no  more  about  the  matter.    After  a 


NORTHERN  PACIFIC  COUNTRY.  59 

couple  of  weeks,  however,  the  stranger  returned 
and  handed  tlie  proprietor  of  the  ground  thirteen 
hundred  dollars  as  his  half  of  the  proceeds  real- 
ized from  the  dirt  casually  thrown  out  upon  the 
roadway  in  digging  his  cellar. 

Between  Helena  and  Garrison  the  main  range 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains  is  crossed,  and  at  an 
elevation  of  five  thousand  five  hundred  and  forty 
feet  the  cars  enter  what  is  called  the  MuUan  Tun- 
nel. This  dismal  and  remarkable  excavation  is 
nearly  four  thousand  feet  long.  From  it  the  west- 
ern-bound traveler  finally  emerges  on  the  Pacific 
slope,  passing  through  the  beautiful  valley  of  the 
Little  Blackfoot. 

The  region  through  which  we  were  traveling 
stretches  from  Lake  Superior  to  Puget  Sound,  on 
the  Pacific  coast,  and  spreads  out  for  many  miles 
on  either  side  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad, 
known  as  the  "  Northern  Pacific  Country."  No 
portion  of  the  United  Sates  offers  more  favorable 
opportunities  for  settlement,  and  in  no  other  sec- 
tion is  there  as  much  desirable  government  land 
still  open  to  preemption,  presenting  such  a  variety 
of  surface,  richness  of  soil,  and  wealth  of  natural 
productions.  Intelligent  emigrants  are  rapidly 
appropriating  the  land  of  this  very  attractive 
region,  but  there  is  still  enough  and  to  spare. 
Europe  may  continue  to  send  us  her  surplus  popu- 
lation for  fifty  years  to  come  at  the  same  rate  she 
has  done  for  the  past  hnlf  century,  and  there  will 
still  be  room  enough  in  the  great  West  and  North- 
west to  accommodate  them. 


60  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

As  we  left  tlie  main  track  of  the  Northern  Pa- 
cific Kiilroad  at  Livingston  to  visit  the  Yellow- 
stone Park,  so  at  Garrison  we  again  take  a  branch 
road  to  BuLte  City,  situated  fifty-five  miles  south- 
ward, and  which  is  admitted  to  be  the  greate;-t 
mining  city  of  the  American  continent.  Heie,  on 
the  western  slope  of  the  main  range  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  stands  the  "Silver  City,"  as  it  is  gen- 
erall}'  called,  though  one  of  its  main  features  is  its 
copper  product,  which  rivals  that  of  the  Lake 
Superior  district  in  quantity  and  quality,  giving 
employment  to  the  most  extensive  smelting  works 
in  the  world.  There  are  thirty  thousand  inhab- 
itants in  Butte,  and  it  is  rapidly  growing  in  terri- 
tory and  population.  Its  citizens  seem  to  be  far 
above  the  average  of  our  frontier  settlers  in  intel- 
ligence and  thrift.  The  Blue  Bird  silver  mine  is 
perhaps  the  richest  in  this  locality,  yielding  every 
twelve  months  a  million  and  a  half  of  dollars  in 
bullion  ;  while  the  IMoulton,  Alice,  and  Lexing- 
ton mines  each  produce  a  million  dollars  or  more 
in  silver  yearly.  There  are  several  other  rich 
mines,  among  them  the  Anaconda  copper  mine, 
which  gives  an  aggregate  each  year  lai'ger  in  value 
than  any  we  have  named.  The  Parrott  Copper 
Company,  also  the  Montana  and  Boston  Copper 
Company,  eac-h  show  an  annual  output  of  metal 
valued  at  a  million  of  dollars.  In  place  of  there 
being  any  falling  off  in  these  large  amounts,  all  of 
the  mines  are  increasing  their  productiveness 
monthly  bj-^  means  of  improved  processes  and 
enlarged  mechanicrd  facilities.      But  we  have  gone 


MONTANA.  61 

sufficiently  into  detail  to  prove  the  assertion  al- 
ready made,  that  Butte  City  is  the  greatest  mining 
town  on  the  continent.  Eight  tenths  of  its  popu- 
lation is  connected,  either  directly  or  indirectly, 
with  mining. 

"  It  would  seem  that  the  United  States  form 
the  ricliest  mineral  country  on  the  globe,"  said  an 
English  fellow-traveler  to  whom  these  facts  were 
being  explained  by  an  intelligent  resident. 

"That  has  long  been  admitted,"  said  the 
American. 

"And  what  country  comes  next?"  asked  the 
Englishman. 

"  Australia,"  was  the  reply.  "  But  the  United 
States,"  continued  the  Amei'ican,  "  have  another 
nnd  superior  source  of  wealth  exceeding  that  of 
all  other  lands,  namely,  their  agricultural  ca- 
pacity. There  are  here  millions  upon  millions  of 
acres,  richer  than  the  valley  of  the  Nile,  which 
are  still  virgin  soil  untouched  by  the  plow  or 
harrow." 

Not  mining,  but  agriculture  forms  the  great 
and  lasting  wealth  of  our  broad  and  fertile  West- 
ern States,  rich  though  they  be  in  mineral  deposits, 
especially  of  gold  and  silver. 

Before  proceeding  further  on  our  journey,  let 
us  pause  for  a  moment  to  consider  the  maguitude 
of  this  imjierial  State  of  Montana,  which  measures 
over  five  hundred  miles  from  east  to  west,  and 
which  is  three  hundred  miles  from  north  to  south, 
containing  one  hundred  and  forty-four  thousand 
square  miles.     This  makes   it    larger  in   surface 


62  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

than  the  States  of  New  Hampshire,  Vermont;. 
Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  New  Jersey,  Mary- 
hiud,  Ohio,  and  Indiana  combined.  With  its  vast 
stores  of  mineral  wealth  and  many  other  advan- 
t:if];es,  who  will  venture  to  predict  its  future  possi- 
bilities? It  would  be  difficult  to  exaggerate  them. 
The  precious  metals  mined  in  the  State  during  the 
last  year  gave  a  total  value  of  over  forty  million 
of  dollars,  which  was  an  increase  of  six  million 
over  that  of  the  preceding  year.  Between  forty 
and  fifty  million  dollars  in  value  is  anticipated  as 
the  result  of  the  local  mining  enterprise  for  the 
current  twelve  months,  and  yet  we  consider  this 
to  be  the  second,  not  the  first,  interest  of  Montana; 
agriculture  take  the  precedence. 

Returning  to  Garrison,  after  a  couple  of  days 
passed  at  Butte  City  examining  its  extremely  in- 
teresting system  of  mining  for  the  precious  metals, 
we  once  ?nore  resume  our  western  journey. 

Along  the  less  populous  portions  of  the  route 
groups  of  dirty,  but  picturesque  looking  Indians 
are  seen  lounging  about,  wrapped  in  fiery  red 
blankets.  These  belong  to  various  native  tribes, 
such  as  the  Sioux,  Blackfeet,  Cheyennes,  and 
Arapahoes.  Bucks,  squaws,  and  papooses  gather 
about  the  small  railroad  stations,  partly  from  cu- 
riosity, and  partly  because  they  have  nothing  else 
to  do  ;  but  they  are  ever  ready  to  sell  trifles  of 
their  own  rude  manufacture  to  travelers  as  sou- 
venirs, also  gladly  receiving  donations  of  tobacco 
or  small  silver  coins.  The  men  are  fat,  lazy,  and 
useless,  scorning  even   the  semblance  of  working 


THE    WARDS   OF   THE   GOVERNMENT.       63 

for  a  livelihood,  leaving  the  squaws  to  do  the 
trading  with  travelers.  These  are  "  wards  "  of 
our  government,  who  receive  regular  annuities  of 
money  and  subsistence,  including  flour,  beef,  blan- 
kets, and  so  on.  Support  is  thus  insured  to  them 
so  long  as  they  live,  and  no  American  Indian  was 
ever  known  to  work  for  himself,  or  any  one  else, 
unless  driven  to  it  by  absolute  necessity. 

When  the  author  first  crossed  these  plains, 
nearly  thirty  years  ago,  before  there  was  any 
transcontinental  railroad,  the  Indian  tribes  were 
very  different  people  from  what  we  find  them  to- 
day. The  men  were  thin  in  flesh,  wiry,  active,  and 
constantl}^  on  the  alert.  They  were  ever  ready 
for  bloodshed  and  robbery  when  they  could  be 
perpetrated  without  much  danger  to  themselves. 
Contact  with  civilization  has  changed  all  this. 
They  have  become  fat  and  lazy.  They  have  bor- 
rowed the  white  man's  vices,  but  have  ignored 
his  virtues.  When  not  fighting  with  the  pale 
faces,  the  tribes  were,  thirty  and  forty  years  ago, 
incessantly  at  war  with  each  other,  thus  actively 
promoting  the  fate  which  surely  awaited  them  as 
a  people.  Their  pride,  even  to-day,  is  to  display 
at  their  belts  not  only  the  scalps  of  white  men 
and  women  taken  in  belligerent  times,  but  also 
the  scalps  of  hostile  tribes  of  their  own  race. 

We  believe  most  sincerely  in  fulfilling  all  treaty 
obligations  between  our  government  and  the  In- 
dians, to  the  very  letter  of  the  contract,  nor  have 
we  any  doubt  that  our  official  agents  have  often 
been  unfaithful  in  the  performance  of  their  duties; 


64  THE  NFAV  ELDORADO. 

but  when  we  attempt  to  create  saints  and  martyrs 
out  of  the  Red  Men,  we  are  certainly  forcing  the 
canonizing  principle.  The}'  are  entitled  to  as 
much  consideration  as  the  whites,  but  they  are 
not  entitled  to  more.  Tliey  are  crafty  and  cruel 
by  nature  ;  this  is,  perhaps,  not  their  fault,  but  it 
is  their  misfortune.  Nothing  is  really  gained  in 
our  fine-spun  moral  theories  by  attempting  to  de- 
ceive ourselves  or  others.  The  plain  truth  is  the 
best. 

A  little  way  from  the  railroad  station  on  the 
open  prairie  the  camps  of  these  aborigines  may 
often  be  seen,  consisting  of  a  few  rude  buffalo 
hides  or  canvas  tents,  while  a  score  of  rough  look- 
ing ponies  are  grazing  hard  by,  tethered  to  stakes 
driven  into  the  soil.  Here  and  there  in  front  of 
a  tent  an  iron  kettle,  in  which  a  savory  compound 
of  meat  and  vegetables  is  simmering,  hangs  upon 
a  tripod  above  a  low  fire  built  on  the  ground, 
presided  over  by  some  ancient  squaw,  all  very 
much  like  a  gypsy  camp  by  the  roadside  in  far  off 
Granada. 

The  male  aborigines  wear  semi-civilized  cloth- 
ing made  of  dressed  deerskins,  and  woolen  goods 
indiscriminately  mixed  ;  their  long  coarse  black 
hair,  decked  with  eagle's  feathers,  hangs  about 
their  necks  and  faces,  the  latter  often  smeared 
with  yellow  ochre.  Now  and  then  a  touch  of 
manliness  is  seen  in  the  bearing  and  facial  expres- 
sion of  the  bucks ;  but  the  larger  number  are  de- 
bauched and  degraded  specimens  of  humanity, 
who  impress  the  stranger  with  some  curiosity,  but 


COWBOYS.  65 

with  very  little  interest.  Like  the  gypsies  of 
Spain,  they  are  incorrigible  nomads,  detesting  the 
ordinaiy  conventionalities  of  civilized  life.  The 
Indian  women  are  clad  in  leather  leggings,  blue 
woolen  skirts  and  waists,  having  striped  blankets 
gathered  loosely  over  their  shoulders.  No  one 
ciin  truthfully  ascribe  the  virtue  of  cleanliness  to 
these  squaws.  The  papooses  are  strapped  in  flat 
baskets  to  the  mothers'  backs,  being  swathed, 
arms,  legs,  and  body,  like  an  Egyptian  mummy, 
and  are  as  silent  even  as  those  dried-up  remains 
of  humanity.  Whoever  heard  an  Indian  baby 
cry  ?  The  mothers  seemed  to  be  kind  to  the  little 
creatures,  whose  faces,  like  those  of  the  Eskimo 
babies,  are  so  fat  that  they  can  hardly  open  their 
eyes. 

We  are  sure  to  see  about  these  railroad  stations 
in  the  far  West  an  occasional  ''  cowboy,"  clad  in 
his  fanciful  leather  suit  cut  after  the  Mexican 
style,  wearing  heavy  spurs,  and  carrying  a  ready 
revolver  in  his  belt.  His  long  hair  is  covered  by 
a  broad  felt  sombrero,  and  he  wears  a  high-col- 
ored handkerchief  tied  loosely  about  his  neck.  He 
enjoys  robust  health,  is  sinewy,  clear-eyed,  and  in- 
telligent in  every  feature,  leading  an  active,  open- 
air  life  as  a  herdsman,  and  being  ever  ready  for  an 
Indian  fight  or  a  generous  act  of  self-abnegation 
in  behalf  of  a  comrade.  He  will  not  object  on 
an  occasion  to  join  a  lynching-party  who  happen 
to  have  in  hand  some  horse-thief  or  a  murderous 
scoundrel  who  has  long  successfully  defied  the 
laws.     These  cowboys  are  splendid  horsemen,  sit- 


66  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

ting  their  high -pommeled  Mexican  saddles  like 
the  Arabs.  Tliey  are  oftentimes  educated  young 
men,  belonging  to  respectable  Eastern  families, 
seeking  a  brief  experience  of  this  wild,  exposed 
life,  simply  from  a  love  of  independence  and  ad- 
venture. They  are  chivalric,  and  nearly  always 
to  be  found  on  the  side  of  justice,  however  quick 
they  may  be  in  the  use  of  the  revolver.  Their 
life  is  spent  amid  associations,  and  in  regions, 
where  the  slow  process  of  the  law  does  not  meet 
the  exigencies  constantly  occurring.  The  reader 
may  be  assured  that  they  are  nevertheless  gov- 
erned by  a  sense  of  "  wild  justice,"  in  which  an 
element  of  real  equity  predominates.  To  realize 
the  skill  which  they  acquire,  one  must  see  half  a 
dozen  of  them  join  together  in  ''rounding  up"  a 
herd  of  several  hundred  cattle,  or  wild  horses, 
scattered  and  feeding  on  the  prairie,  and  from  the 
herds  collect  and  sort  out  the  animals  belonging  to 
different  owners,  all  being  distinctly  branded  with 
hot  irons  when  brought  from  Texas  or  elsewhere. 
In  doing  this  it  is  often  necessar}^  to  lasso  and 
throw  an  animal  while  the  operator  is  himself  in 
the  saddle  and  his  horse  at  full  gallop.  No  eques- 
trian feats  of  the  ring  equal  their  daily  perform- 
ances, and  no  Indian  of  the  prairies  can  compare 
with  them  for  daring  and  successful  horseman- 
ship. Indeed,  an  Indian  is  hardly  the  equal  of  a 
white  man  in  anything,  not  even  in  endurance. 
"An  intelligent  white  man  can  beat  any  Indian, 
even  at  his  own  game,"  says  Buffalo  Bill.  Each 
one  of  the  aborigines  has  liis  pony,  and  some  have 


PRAIRIE  SCHOONERS.  67 

two  or  three,  but  they  are  as  a  rule  of  a  poor 
breed,  overworked  and  underfed.  They  are  never 
housed,  never  supplied  with  grain,  but  subsist 
solely  upon  the  eorirse  bunch  grass  of  the  prairie. 
The  poor,  uncared-for  animals  which  are  seen  as 
described  about  the  natives'  encampments  tell 
their  own  doleful  story.  The  Indian  ponies  and 
the  squaws  are  alike  always  abused. 

As  we  cross  these  plains  straggling  emigrant 
teams  are  often  seen,  called  "  prairie  schooners." 
The  wagons  as  a  rule  are  much  the  Avorse  for 
wear,  being  surmounted  by  a  rude  canvas  cover- 
ing, dark  and  mildewed,  under  which  a  wife  and 
four  or  five  children  are  generally  domiciled.  A 
few  domestic  utensils  are  carried  in,  or  hung  upon 
the  body  of,  the  vehich^  —  a  tin  dipper  here,  a 
water-pail  there,  a  frying-pan  in  one  place,  and  an 
iron  kettle  in  another.  These  wagons  are  usually 
drawn  by  a  couple  of  soriy-looking  horses,  and 
sometimes  by  a  yoke  of  oxen.  Beside  the  team 
trudges  the  father  and  husband,  the  typical 
pioneer  farmer,  hardy,  independent,  self-reliant, 
bound  west  to  find  means  of  support  for  himself 
and  brood.  Many  such  are  seen  as  we  glide 
swiftly  over  the  iron  rails,  causing  us  to  realize 
how  steadily  the  stream  of  humanity  flows  west- 
ward, spreading  itself  over  the  virgin  soil  of  the 
new  States  and  Territories,  and  producing  a 
growth  in  population  no  less  legitimate  than  it 
is  rapid.  These  pioneers  are  almost  invariably 
farmers,  and  by  adhering  to  their  calling  are  sure 
to  make  at  least  a  cnmf  n-table  living. 


68  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

While  stopping  at  a  watering-place  in  the  early 
morning,  the  picturesque  figure  of  a  hunter  was 
seen  with  rifle  in  hand.  Over  his  shoulder  hung 
the  body  of  an  antelope,  while  some  smaller  game 
was  secured  to  his  leathern  belt.  He  had  -just  cap- 
tured these  in  the  wild  brown  hills  which  border 
the  j)lateau  where  our  train  had  stopped.  Coop- 
er's Leather-Stocking  Tales  were  instantly  sug- 
gested to  the  mind  of  the  observer,  as  he  watched 
the  careless,  graceful  attitude  and  bearing  of  the 
rugged  frontiersman,  whose  entire  unconsciousness 
of  the  unique  figure  which  he  presented  was  espe- 
cially noticeable. 

After  traveling  more  than  five  hundred  miles 
in  Montana,  which  is  surpassed  in  size  only  by 
Alaska  and  Dakota,  we  enter  northern  Idaho,  at- 
tractive for  its  wild  and  picturesque  scenery,  —  a 
territory  of  mountains,  valleys,  rivers,  lakes,  and 
prairies  combined,  second  only  to  Montana  in  its 
mineral  wealth,  and  possessing  also  some  (»f  the 
choicest  agricultural  districts  in  the  great  West, 
where  Nature  herself  freely  bestows  the  best  of 
irrigation  in  uniform  and  abundant  rains.  While 
traveling  in  Idaho  we  find  that  the  route  passes 
through  a  magnificent  forest  region,  where  the 
trees  measure  from  six  to  ten  feet  in  diameter, 
and  are  of  colossal  height,  such  growing  timber 
as  would  challenge  comment  in  any  part  of  the 
world,  consisting  mostly  of  white  pine,  cedar,  and 
hemlock. 

We  soon  cross  into  the  State  of  Washington, 
its    northern    boundary   being    British    Columbia 


SPOKANE  FALLS.  69 

and  its  soutliern  boundary  Oregon,  from  which  it 
is  separated  for  more  than  a  hundred  miles  of  its 
length  by  the  Columbia  River.  Its  form  is  that 
of  a  parallelogram,  fronting  upon  the  Pacific 
Ocean  for  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  and 
having  a  length  from  east  to  west  of  over  three 
bundled  and  sixty  miles.  This  State  has  im- 
mense agricultural  areas,  as  well  as  being  rich  in 
coal,  iron,  and  timber.  We  pause  at  Spokane 
Falls  for  a  day  and  night  of  rest.  It  is  on  the 
direct  line  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  and  is 
tlie  principal  city  of  eastern  Washington,  having 
the  largest  and  best  water-power  on  the  Pacific 
slope.  Government  engineers  report  the  water 
fall  here  to  exceed  two  hundred  thousand  horse- 
power, a  small  portion  only  of  which  is  yet  im- 
proved, and  that  as  a  motor  for  large  grain  and 
flouring  mills.  Here  we  find  a  thrifty  business 
community  numbering  over  twelve  thousand,  the 
streets  traversed  by  a  horse  railroad,  and  the  place 
having  electric  lights,  gas  and  public  water  works, 
with  a  Methodist  and  a  Catholic  college.  It  com- 
mands the  trade  of  what  is  termed  the  Big  Bend 
country  and  the  Palouse  district,  and  is  the  fitting- 
out  place  for  the  thousands  of  miners  engaged  in 
Coeur  d'Alene  County.  In  spite  of  the  late  dis- 
astrous fire  which  she  has  experienced,  Spokane, 
like  Seattle,  will  rapidly  rise  from  her  ashes. 
Official  reports  show  that  over  nine  million  acres 
of  this  State  are  particularly  adapted  to  the  rais- 
ing of  wheat.  Our  route,  after  a  brief  rest  at 
Spokane  Falls,  lies  through  Pilouse  County,  where 


70  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

this  cereal  is  raised  in  quantities  proportionately 
larger  than  even  in  Dakota,  and  at  a  considerably 
less  cost.  Thirty-five  to  forty  bushels  of  wheat 
to  the  acre  is  considered  a  royal  yield  in  Dakota 
and  the  best  locaUties  elsewhere,  but  here  fifty 
bushels  to  the  acre  are  pretty  sufle  to  reward  the 
cultivator,  and  even  this  large  amount  is  some- 
times exceeded.  One  enthusiastic  observer  and 
writer  declares  that  Palouse  County  is  destined  to 
destroy  wheat-growing  in  India  by  virtue  of  its 
immense  crops,  its  favorable  seasons,  its  economy 
of  production,  and  its  proximity  to  the  seaboard. 

In  the  western  part  of  the  State,  on  Puget 
Sound,  the  lumber  business  is  the  most  important 
industry,  giving  profitable  employment  to  thou- 
sands of  people.  The  productive  capacity  of  the 
several  sawmills  on  the  sound  is  placed  at  two  mil- 
lion feet  per  day,  and  all  are  in  active  operation. 
A  new  one  of  large  proportions  was  also  observed 
to  be  in  course  of  construction.  The  forests  which 
produce  the  crude  material  are  practically  inex- 
haustible. The  pines  are  of  great  size,  ranging 
from  eiglit  to  twelve  feet  in  diameter,  and  from 
two  hundred  to  two  hundred  and  eighty  feet  in 
height.  No  trees  upon  this  continent,  except  the 
giant  conifeis  of  the  Yosemite,  surpass  these  in 
magnitude.  United  States  surveyors  have  de- 
clared, in  their  printed  reports,  that  this  State 
contains  the  finest  body  of  timber  in  the  world, 
and  that  its  forests  cover  an  area  larger  than  the 
entire  State  of  Maine. 

The   most   productive   hop   districts    that    are 


IMMIGRATION.  71 

known  anywhere  are  to  be  found  in  the  broad 
valleys  of  this  State,  where  hop-growing  has  be- 
come a  great  and  increasing  industry,  yielding 
remarkable  profits  upon  the  money  invested  and 
the  labor  required  to  market  the  crop.  The 
course  of  the  railroad  is  lined  with  these  gorgeous 
fields  of  bloom,  hanging  on  poles  fiftee»  feet  in 
height,  planted  with  mathematical  regularity. 
Large  fruit  orchards  of  apples,  pears,  peaches, 
cherries,  and  other  varieties  are  seen  flourishing 
here  ;  and  residents  speak  confidently  of  fruit  rais- 
ing as  being  one  of  the  most  promising  future  in- 
dustries of  this  region,  together  with  the  canning 
and  preserving  of  the  fruits  for  use  in  Eastern 
markets.  We  are  reminded,  in  this  connection, 
that  the  United  States  crop  reports  also  repre- 
sent Washington  as  producing  more  bushels  of 
wheat  to  the  acre  than  any  other  State  or  Terri- 
tory within  the  national  domain.  This  grand 
region  of  the  far  northwestern  portion  of  our 
country  is  three  hundred  miles  long,  from  east 
to  west,  and  two  hundred  and  forty  miles  from 
north  to  south,  giving  it  an  area  in  round  numbers 
of  seventy  thousand  square  miles.  That  is  to 
say,  it  is  nearly  as  large  as  the  States  of  New 
York  and  Pennsylvania  combined. 

The  immigration  pouring  into  the  new  State 
of  Washington  is  simply  enormous,  its  aggregate 
for  the  year  1889  being  estimated  at  thirty-five 
thousand  persons,  the  majority  of  whom  come 
hither  for  agricultural  purposes,  and  to  establish 
permanent  homes.      One  train   observed    by  the 


72  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

author  consisted  of  nine  second-class  cars  filled 
entirely  with  Scandinavians,  that  is,  people  from 
Norway  and  Sweden,  presenting  an  appearance 
of  more  than  average  sturdiness  and  intelligence. 

As  the  Pacific  coast  is  approached  we  come  to 
the  famous  Stampede  Tunnel,  which  is  nearly  ten 
thousand  feet  long,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the 
Hoosac  Tunnel  in  Massachusetts,  the  longest  in 
America.  On  emerging  from  the  Stampede  Tun- 
nel the  traveler  gets  his  first  view  of  Mount 
Tacoma,  rising  in  perpendicular  height  to  nearly 
three  miles,  the  summit  robed  in  dazzling  white- 
ness throughout  the  entire  year. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Mount  Tacoma.  —  Termiuus  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad.  — 
Great  luland  Sea.  —  City  of  Tacoma  and  its  Marvelous 
Growth.  —  Coal  Measures.  —  The  Modoc  ludiaus.  —  Embark- 
ing for  Alaska.  —  The  liapidly  Growing  City  of  Seattle.  — 
Tacoma  with  its  Fifteen  Glaciers.  —  Something  about  Port 
Townsend.  —A  Chance  for  Members  of  Alpine  Clubs. 

The  city  of  Tacoma  takes  its  name  from  the 
grand  towering  mountain,  so  massive  and  sym- 
metrical, in  sight  of  which  it  is  situated.  We 
cannot  but  regret  that  the  newly  formed  State  did 
not  assume  the  name  also. 

This  is  the  western  terminus  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad,  and  is  destined  to  become  a  great 
commercial  port  in  the  near  future,  being  situated 
so  advantageously  at  the  head  of  the  sound,  less 
than  two  hundred  miles  from  tiie  Pacific  Ocean. 
Its  well-arranged  system  of  wharves  is  already  a 
mile  and  a  half  long,  while  there  is  a  sufficient 
depth  of  water  in  any  part  of  the  sound  to  admit 
of  safely  mooring  the  largest  ships.  The  reports 
of  the  United  States  Coast  Survey  describe  Puget 
Sound  as  having  sixteen  hundred  miles  of  shore 
line,  and  a  surface  of  two  thousand  square  miles, 
thus  forming  a  grand  inland  sea,  smooth,  serene, 
and  still,  often  appropriately  spoken  of  as  tlie 
Mediterranean    of   the    North    Pacific.     It   is  in- 


74  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

dented  with  many  bays,  harbors,  and  inlets,  and 
receives  into  its  bosom  tlie  waters  of  numerous 
streams  and  tributaries,  all  of  which  are  more  or 
less  navigable,  and  upon  whose  banks  are  estab- 
lished the  homes  -of  many  hundred  thrifty  farmers. 

History  shows  that  long  ago,  before  any  Pil- 
grims landed  at  Plymouth,  Spanish  voyagers 
planted  colonies  on  Puget  Sound.  From  them 
the  Indians  of  these  shores  learned  to  grow  crops 
of  cereals,  though  according  to  the  ingenious  Igna- 
tius Donnelly's  "  Atlantis "  they  brought  the 
art  from  a  lost  continent.  Puget  Sound  Ta?^y  be 
described  as  an  arm  of  the  Pacific  which,  running 
through  the  Strait  of  Fuca,  extends  for  a  hundred 
miles,  more  or  less,  southward  into  the  State  of 
Washington.  Nothing  can  exceed  the  beauty  of 
these  deep,  calm  waters,  or  their  excellence  for 
the  purpose  of  navigation  ;  not  a  shoal  exists  either 
in  the  strait  or  the  sound  that  can  interfere  with 
the  progress  of  the  largest  ironclad.  A  ship's 
side  would  strike  the  shore  before  her  keel  would 
touch  the  bottom.  Storms  do  not  trouble  these 
waters ;  such  as  are  frequently  encountered  in 
narrow  seas,  like  the  Straits  of  Magellan,  and 
heavy  snow-storms  are  unknown.  The  entire  ex- 
panse is  deep,  clear,  and  placid. 

Tacoma  has  about  thirty  thousand  inhabitants 
to-day  ;  in  1880  it  had  seven  hundred  and  twenty  ! 
The  assessed  valuation  eight  years  ago  was  half 
a  million  dollars.  It  is  now  over  sixteen  mil- 
lion dollars,  and  this  aggregate  does  not  quite 
represent  the  rapid  increase  of  real  estate.     Here, 


TACOMA.  75 

months  have  witnessed  more  growth  and  progress 
in  permanent  business  wealth  and  value  of  prop- 
erty than  years  in  the  history  of  our  Eastern  cities. 
At  this  writing  there  is  being  built  a  large  and 
architecturally  grand  opera  house  of  stone  and 
brick  which  will  cost  quarter  of  a  million  dollars, 
besides  which  the  author  counted  over  forty  stone 
and  brick  business  edifices  in  course'  of  construc- 
tion, and  nearly  a  hundred  two  and  three  story 
frame-houses  for  dwelling  purposes,  of  handsome 
modern  architectural  designs.  Away  from  the 
business  centre  of  the  city  the  residences  are  uni- 
versally beautiful,  with  well-kept  lawns  of  ex- 
quisite green,  and  small  charming  flower  gardens 
fragrant  with  roses,  syringas,  and  honeysuckles, 
mingling  with  pansies,  geraniums,  verbenas,  and 
forget-me-nots.  It  is  astonishing  what  an  air  of 
leisure  and  refinement  is  imparted  to  these  dwell- 
ings by  this  means,  —  an  air  of  retirement  and  cul- 
ture, amid  all  the  surrounding  bustle  and  rush  of 
business  interests. 

The  city  claims  an  ocean  commerce  surpassed 
in  volume  by  no  other  port  on  the  Pacific  except 
San  Francisco.  Its  substantial  and  well-arranged 
brick  blocks,  of  both  dwellings  and  storehouses, 
lining  the  broad  avenues,  are  suggestive  of  per- 
manence and  commercial  importance,  while  a  gen- 
eral appearance  of  thrift  prevails  in  all  of  the 
surroundings.  Pacific  Avenue  is  noticeably  a  fine 
thoroughfare,  —  the  principal  one  of  the  town. 
The  place  seems  to  be  thoroughly  alive,  and 
especially   in  the  vicinity  of   the  shipping.     The 


76  THE   NEW  ELDORADO. 

author  counted  fifteen  ocean  steamers  in  the  har- 
bor, and  there  were  at  the  same  time  as  many  hirge 
sailing  vessels  lying  at  the  wharves  loading  with 
lumber,  wheat,  coal,  and  other  merchandise,  exhib- 
iting a  degree  of  commercial  energy  hardly  to  be 
expected  of  so  comparatively  small  a  community. 
We  were  informed  that  four  fifths  of  the  citizens 
were  Americans  by  birth,  drawn  mostly  from  the 
educated  and  energetic  classes  of  the  United 
States,  forming  a  community  of  much  more  than 
average  intelligence.  Young  America,  backed  by 
capital,  is  the  element  which  has  made  the  place 
what  it  is.  It  was  a  surprise  to  find  a  hotel  so 
large  and  well  appointed  in  this  city  as  the 
"  Tacoma "  proved  to  be ;  a  five-story  stone  and 
brick  house,  of  pleasing  architectural  effect,  and 
having  ample  accommodations  for  three  hundred 
guests.  It  stands  upon  rising  ground  overlooking 
the  extensive  bay.  The  view  from  its  broad 
piazzas  is  something  to  be  remembered. 

Across  Commencement  Bay  is  a  point  of  well- 
wooded  land,  called  "  Indian  Reservation,"  where 
our  government  located  what  remains  of  the  Mo- 
doc tribe  who  so  long  resisted  the  advance  of 
the  whites  towards  the  Pacific  shore.  These  former 
l)elligerents  are  peaceable  enough  now,  fully  realiz- 
ing their  own  interests. 

Statistics  show  that  there  is  shipped  from  Ta- 
coma, on  an  average,  a  thousand  tons  of  native 
coal  per  day,  mostly  to  San  Francisco  and  some 
other  Pacific  ports.  A  large  portion  of  this  coal 
comes  from   valuable  measures  belonaing  to  the 


THE  LUMBER  BUSINESS.  77 

Northern  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  situated  thirty 
or  forty  miles  from  Tacoma,  and  some  from  the 
Roslyn  mines  farther  away.  The  Wilkinson  and 
Carbonado  mines  form  the  principal  source  of 
supply  for  shipment,  and  the  Roslyn  for  use  on 
the  railroad.  These  last  are  thirty-five  thousand 
acres  in  extent.  One  of  the  many  veins  of  the 
Roslyn  coal  deposit  is  estimated  to  contain  three 
hundred  million  tons  of  coal,  conveniently  situated 
for  transportation  on  the  line  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad. 

The  great  Tacoraa  sawmill  does  a  very  large  and 
successful  business,  finding  its  motor  in  a  steam 
engine  of  fourteen  hundred  horse-power,  and  hav- 
ing over  seven  hundred  men  on  its  pay-roll.  This 
number  includes  mill-hands,  dock-men,  choppers, 
and  watermen,  the  latter  being  the  hands  who 
bring  the  logs  by  rafts  from  different  parts  of  the 
sound.  There  are  a  dozen  other  sawmills  in  and 
about  the  city.  The  lumber  business  of  this 
region  is  fast  assuming  gigantic  proportions,  ship- 
ments being  regularly  made  to  China,  Japan,  Aus- 
tralia, and  even  to  Atlantic  ports.  A  whole  fleet 
of  merchantmen  were  waiting  their  turn  to  take 
in  cargo  while  we  were  there.  We  believe  that 
Tacoma  will  ere  long  become  the  second  city  on 
the  Pacific  coast,  and  perhaps  eventually  a  rival 
to  San  Francisco.  Its  abundance  of  coal,  iron,  and 
lumber,  added  to  its  variety  of  fish  and  immense 
agricultural  products,  are  sufficient  to  support  a 
city  twice  as  large  as  the  capital  of  California. 

One  sturdy  gang  of  men,  who  are  bringing  in 


78  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

a  large  raft  of  logs,  attracts  our  attention  by 
their  similarity  of  dress  and  general  appearance, 
as  well  as  by  their  dark  skins  and  well-developed 
forms.  On  inquiry  we  learn  that  they  are  native 
Indians  of  the  Haida  tribe,  who  come  down  from 
the  north  to  work  through  a  part  of  the  season  as 
lumbermen,  at  liberal  wages.  They  are  accus- 
tomed to  perilous  voyages  while  seeking  the  whale 
and  fishing  for  halibut  in  deep  waters,  command- 
ing good  wages,  as  being  equal  to  any  white  labor- 
ers obtainable. 

We  embark  at  Tacoma  for  Alaska  in  a  large  and 
well-appointed  steamer  belonging  to  the  Pacific 
Coast  Steamship  Company,  heading  due  north. 

The  first  place  of  importance  at  which  we  stop 
is  the  city  of  Seattle,  the  oldest  American  settle- 
ment on  the  sound,  and  now  having  a  busy  com- 
mercial population  of  nearly  thirty  thousand.  It 
has  an  admirable  harbor,  deep,  ample  in  size,  and 
circular  in  form  ;  the  commercial  facilities  could 
hardly  be  improved.  Here  again  are  large  sub- 
stantial brick  and  stone  blocks,  schools,  churches, 
and  various  public  and  private  edifices  of  archi- 
tectural excellence.  Enterprise  and  wealth  are 
conspicuous,  while  the  neighboring  scenery  is 
grand  and  attractive.  To  the  east  of  the  city, 
scarcely  a  mile  away,  is  situated  a  very  beautiful 
body  of  water,  deep  and  pure,  known  as  Lake 
Washington,  twenty  miles  long  by  an  average  of 
three  in  width,  and  from  which  the  citizens  have 
a  never-failing  supply  of  the  best  of  water.  The 
lake  has  an  area  of  over  sixty  square  miles,  and  is 


SEATTLE.  79 

surrounded  by  hills  covered  with  a  noble  forest- 
growth  of  fir,  spruce,  and  ced;u\  Seattle  has  four 
large  public  schools  averaging  six  hundred  pupils 
each,  and  a  university  to  which  there  are  seven 
professors  attached,  with  a  regular  attendance  of 
two  hundred  students. 

Among  the  great  natural  resources  of  this  re- 
gion there  is  included  sixty  thousand  acres  of 
coal  fields  within  a  radius  of  thirty  miles  of  Seat- 
tle. These  coal  fields  are  connected  with  the  city 
by  railways.  Tacoma  and  Seattle  are  also  joined 
by  rail,  besides  two  daily  lines  of  steamboats. 

Great  is  the  rivalry  existing  between  the  people 
here  and  those  of  Tacoma,  but  there  is  certainly 
room  enough  for  both;  and,  notwithstanding  the 
destructive  fire  which  lately  occurred  at  Seattle,  it 
is  prospering  wonderfully.  About  four  miles  dis- 
tant from  the  centre  of  business  is  situated  one  of 
the  largest  steel  manufactories  in  this  country,  the 
immediate  locality  being  known  as  Moss  Bay. 
Here  timber,  water,  coal,  and  mineral  are  close 
at  hand  to  further  the  object  of  this  mammoth 
establishment,  which,  when  in  full  operation,  will 
give  employment  to  five  thousand  men.  Real 
estate  speculation  is  the  pi'esent  rage  at  Seattle, 
based  on  the  idea  that  it  is  to  be  the  port  of 
Puget  Sound. 

Between  the  city  and  hoary-headed  Mount 
Tacoma  is  one  of  the  finest  hop-growing  valleys 
extant.  It  has  enriched  its  dwellers  by  this  in- 
dustry, and  more  hops  are  being  planted  each 
succeeding  year,  increasing  the  quantity  exported 


80  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

by  some  twenty-five  per  cent,  annually.  It  may 
be  doubted  if  the  earth  produces  a  more  beauti- 
ful sight  in  the  form  of  an  annual  crop  of  vege- 
tation than  that  afforded  by  a  hop-field,  say  of 
forty  acres,  when  in  full  bloom.  We  were  told 
that  the  land  of  King  County,  of  which  Seattle  is 
the  capital,  is  marvelous  in  fertility,  especially 
in  the  valleys,  often  producing  four  tons  of  hay 
to  the  acre  ;  three  thousand  pounds  of  hops,  or 
six  hundred  bushels  of  potatoes,  or  one  hundred 
bushels  of  oats  to  the  acre  are  common.  It  must 
be  remembered  also  that  while  there  is  plenty  of 
land  to  be  had  of  government  or  the  Northern  Pa- 
cific Railroad  Company  at  singularly  low  rates, 
transportation  in  all  directions  by  land  or  water  is 
ample  and  convenient,  a  desideratum  by  no  means 
to  be  found  everywhere. 

From  the  deck  of  the  steamer,  as  we  sail  north- 
ward, the  irregular-formed,  but  well-wooded  shore 
is  seen  to  be  dotted  with  hamlets,  sawmills,  farms, 
and  hop-fields,  all  forming  a  pleasing  foreground 
to  the  remarkable  scenery  of  land  and  water  pie- 
sided  over  by  the  snow-crowned  peak  of  Mount 
Tacoma,  which  looms  fourteen  thousand  feet  and 
more  skyward  in  its  grandeur  and  loneliness.  How 
awful  must  be  the  stillness  which  pervades  those 
heights!  As  we  view  it,  the  snow -line  com- 
mences at  about  six  thousand  feet  from  the  base, 
above  which  there  are  eight  thousand  feet  more, 
ice-to|)ped  and  glaeier-bound,  where  ti)e  snow 
and  ice  rest  in  endless  sleep.  There  are  embraced 
within   the   capacious  bosom    of   Tacoma   fifteen 


MOUNT  TACOMA.  81 

glaciers,  three  of  which,  by  liberal  road-making 
and  engineering,  have  been  rendered  accessible  to 
visitors,  and  a  few  persistent  mountain  climbers 
come  hither  every  year  to  witness  glacial  scenery 
finer  than  can  be  found  in  Europe.  Persons  who 
have  traveled  in  Japan  will  be  struck  by  the 
strong  resemblance  of  this  Alpine  Titan  to  the 
famous  volcano  of  Fujiyama,  whose  snow-wreathed 
cone  is  seen  by  the  stranger  as  he  enters  the  har- 
bor of  Yokohama,  tliough  it  is  eighty  miles  away. 

As  we  steam  northward  other  peaks  come  into 
view,  one  after  another,  until  the  whole  Cascade 
Range  is  visible,  half  a  hundred  and  more  in 
number. 

The  summit  of  Tacoma  is  not  absolutely  inac- 
cessible. A  dozen  daring  and  hardy  climbers  have 
accomplished  the  ascent  first  and  last ;  but  it  in- 
volves a  degree  of  labor  and  the  encountering  of 
serious  dangers  which  have  thus  far  rendered  it 
a  task  rarely  achieved.  Many  have  attempted  to 
scale  these  lonely  heights,  and  many  have  given 
up  exhausted,  glad  to  return  alive  from  this  peril- 
ous experience  between  earth  and  sky.  Members 
of  various  Alpine  clubs  cross  the  Atlantic  to  climb 
inferior  elevations.  Let  such  Americans  test  their 
athletic  capacity  and  indulge  their  ambition  by 
overcoming  the  difficult  ascent  of  Tacoma. 

Port  Townsend  is  finally  reached,  —  the  port  of 
entry  for  Puget  Sound  district  and  the  gateway 
of  this  great  body  of  inland  water.  Tacoma, 
Seattle,  and  Port  Townsend  are  all  lively  con- 
testants for  supremacy  on    Puget   Siund.      The 


82  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

business  part  of  Port  Townsend  is  situated  at  the 
base  of  a  bluft'  which  vises  sixty  feet  above  the 
sea  level,  upon  the  top  of  whicli  the  dwelling- 
houses  have  been  erected,  and  where  a  marine 
hospital  flies  the  national  flag.  To  live  in  com- 
fort here  it  would  seem  to  be  necessary  for  each 
family  to  possess  a  balloon,  or  that  a  big  public 
lift  should  be  established  to  take  the  inhabitants 
of  the  town  from  one  part  to  the  other.  It  is 
rapidly  growing,  —  street  grading  and  building 
of  stores  and  dwelling-houses  going  on  in  its  sev- 
eral sections.  Vancouver  named  the  place  after 
his  distinguished  patron,  the  ]\Iarquis  of  Town- 
shend.  We  were  told  that  over  two  thousand 
vessels  enter  and  clear  at  the  United  States  cus- 
tom-house here  annually,  besides  which  there  are 
at  least  a  thousand  which  pass  in  and  out  of  the 
sound  under  coasting  licenses,  and  are  not  in- 
cluded in  this  aggregate.  The  collections  of  the 
district  average  one  thousand  dollars  for  each 
"working  day  of  the  year. 

Port  Townsend  is  nine  hundred  miles  from  San 
Francisco  by  sea,  and  thirty-five  hundred  miles, 
in  round  numbers,  from  Boston  or  New  York. 
It  is  the  first  port  from  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and 
the  nearest  one  to  British  Columbia,  besides  be- 
ing the  natural  outfitting  port  for  Alaska.  We 
were  surprised  to  learn  the  extent  of  maritime 
business  done  here,  and  that  in  the  number  of 
American  steam  vessels  engaged  in  foreign  trade 
it  stands  foremost  in  all  tiie  United  States.  Its 
climate  is  said  to  be  more  like  that  of  Italy  than 


PORT  TOWNSEND.  83 

any  otlier  part  of  America.  The  place  is  cer- 
tainly remarkable  for  salubritj'  and  liealtbfulness, 
and  is  universally  commended  by  persons  who 
have  had  occasion  to  remain  tiiere  for  any  consid- 
erable period.  The  view  from  the  upper  part  of 
the  town  is  very  comprehensive,  including  Mount 
Baker  on  one  side  and  the  Olympic  Range  on  the 
other,  while  the  far-away  silver  cone  of  Mount 
Tacoma  is  also  in  full  view.  The  busy  waters 
of  the  sound  are  constantly  changing  in  the  view 
presented,  various  craft  passing  before  the  eye 
singly  and  in  groups.  Long  lines  of  smoke  trail 
after  the  steamers,  whose  turbulent  wakes  are 
crossed  now  and  then  by  some  dancing  egg-shell 
canoe  or  a  white-winged,  graceful  sailboat  bend- 
ing to  the  breeze. 

Certain  custom-house  formalities  having  been 
duly  complied  with,  we  continued  on  our  course, 
bearing  more  to  the  westward,  crossing  the  Strait 
of  Juan  de  Fuca,  bound  for  Victoria,  the  capital 
of  Vancouver  Island  and  of  British  Columbia,  at 
which  interesting  place  we  land  for  a  brief  so- 
journ. To  the  westward  the  port  looks  out 
through  the  Strait  of  Fuca  to  the  Pacific,  south- 
ward into  Puget  Sound,  and  eastward  beyond  the 
Gulf  of  Georgia  to  the  mainland. 


CHAPTER   yil. 

Victoria,  Vancouver's  Island.  —  Esquimalt.  —  Chinamen.  —  Re- 
markable Flora.  —  Suburbs  of  the  Town.  —  Native  Tribes. — 
Cossacks  of  the  Sea. —  Manners  and  Customs. —  The  Early 
Discoverer. —  Sailing  in  the  Inland  Sea. —  Excursionists. — 
Mount  St.  Elias.  —  Mount  Fairweather.  —  A  Mount  Olympus. 
—  Seymour  Narrows.  —  Night  on  the  Waters.  —  A  Touch  of 
the  Pacific. 

The  city  of  Victoria  contains  twelve  thousand 
inliabitants,  more  or  less,  and  is  situated  just  sev- 
enty miles  from  the  mainland  ;  but  beyond  the 
fact  that  it  is  a  naval  station,  commanding  the  en- 
trance to  the  British  possessions  from  the  Pacific, 
•we  see  nothing  to  conduce  to  the  future  growth  of 
Victoria  beyond  that  of  any  other  place  on  the 
sound.  The  aspect  is  that  of  an  old,  steady-going, 
conservative  town,  undisturbed  by  the  bustle,  ac- 
tivity, and  business  life  of  such  places  as  Taccmia 
and  Seattle.  Vancouver,  on  the  opposite  shore, 
being  the  terminus  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Rail- 
way, bids  fair  to  soon  exceed  it  in  business  impor- 
tance, though  it  has  to-day  less  than  ten  thousand 
inhabitants.  The  population  of  Victoria  is  highly 
cosmopolitan  in  its  character,  being  of  American, 
French,  German,  English,  Spanish,  and  Chinese 
origin.  Of  the  latter  there  are  fully  three  thou- 
sand. They  are  the  successful  market-gardeners 
of  Victoria,  a  position   they  fill   in  many  of  the 


VICTORIA.  85 

English  colonies  of  the  Pacific,  also  performing  the 
public  laundry  work  here,  as  we  find  them  doing 
in  so  many  other  places.  In  the  hotels  they  are 
employed  as  house-servants,  cooks,  and  waiters. 
Yet  every  Chinaman  who  lands  here,  the  same  as 
in  Australia  and  New  Zealand,  is  compelled  to  pay 
a  tax  of  fifty  dollars  entrance  fee.  The  surprise  is 
tliat  such  an  arbitrary  rule  does  not  act  as  a  bar 
to  Asiatic  immigration  ;  but  it  certainly  does  not 
have  that  effect,  while  it  yields  quite  a  revenue 
to  the  local  treasury.  At  most  ports  the  importa- 
tion or  landing  of  Chinese  women  is  forbidden, 
but  some  of  the  gayest  representatives  of  the  sex 
are  to  be  seen  in  the  streets  of  Victoria,  with  bare 
heads,  having  their  intensely  black  hair,  shining 
with  grease,  dressed  in  large  puffs.  The  heavy 
Canton  silks  in  which  they  are  clothed  indicate 
that  they  have  plenty  of  money.  They  affect 
gaudy  colors,  and  wear  heavy  jade  ear-rings,  with 
breastpins  of  the  same  stone  set  in  gold.  The 
lewd  character  of  the  Chinese  women  who  leave 
their  native  land  in  search  of  foreign  homes  is  so 
well  known  as  to  fully  warrant  the  prohibition  rel- 
ative to  their  landing  in  American  or  British  ports. 
The  effort  to  exclude  them  is,  however,  not  infre- 
quently a  failure,  as  with  a  trifling  disguise  male 
and  female  look  so  much  alike  as  to  deceive  an 
ordinary  observer.  The  Asiatics  are  up  to  all 
sorts  of  tricks  to  evade  what  they  consider  arbi- 
trary laws. 

Officially  Victoria  is  English,  but  in  population 
it  13  anything  else  rather  than    English.     Until 


86  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

1858  it  was  only  a  small  trading  station  belonging 
to  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  ;  but  in  that  year 
the  discovery  of  gold, on  the  bar  of  the  Fraser 
River  and  elsewhere  in  the  vicinity  caused  a  great 
influx  of  miners  and  prospectors,  mostly  from  Cal- 
ifornia, and  it  was  this  circumstance  which  gave 
the  place  a  business  start  and  large  degree  of  im- 
portance. The  houses  are  many  of  them  built  of 
stone  and  bricks,  the  gardens  being  also  neatly 
inclosed.  The  streets  are  macadamized  and  kept 
in  excellent  order.  The  city  is  lighted  by  electric 
lamps  placed  on  poles  over  a  hundred  feet  high, 
and  iias  many  modern  improvements  designed  to 
benefit  the  people  at  large,  including  large  public 
buildings  and  a  fine  opera  house. 

The  harbor  of  Victoria  is  small,  and  has  only 
sufficient  depth  to  accommodate  vessels  drawing 
eighteen  feet  of  water;  but  near  at  hand  is  a  sec- 
ond harbor,  known  as  Esquimalt,  with  sufficient 
depth  for  all  practical  purposes.  If  quiet  is  an 
element  of  charm,  then  Victoria  is  charming ;  but 
we  must  add  that  it  is  also  rather  sleepy  and  tame. 
It  might  be  centuries  old,  everything  moving,  as 
it  does,  in  grooves.  Business  people  get  to  their 
ofl&ces  at  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
leave  them  by  three  in  the  afternoon.  There  is  no 
evidence  here  of  the  fever  of  living,  no  symptom 
of  the  go-ahead  spirit  which  actuates  their  Yankee 
neighbors  across  the  sound. 

Esquimalt  is  situated  but  three  or  four  miles 
from  Victoria,  and  is  the  headquarters  of  the  Eng- 
lish Pacific  squadron,  where  two  or  three  British 


ESQUIMALT.  87 

men-of-war  are  nearly  always  to  be  seen  in  the 
harbor,  and  where  there  is  also  a  very  capacious 
dry-dock  and  a  naval  arsenaL  At  the  time  of  oar 
visit  a  couple  of  swift  little  torpedo-boats  were 
exercising  about  the  harbor  and  the  sound.  The 
well-wooded  shore  is  dressed  in  "  Lincoln  green," 
far  more  tropical  than  boreal.  The  many  pleas- 
ing residences  are  surrounded  with  pretty  garden- 
plots,  and  flowers  abound.  We  have  rarely  seen  so 
handsome  an  array  of  cultivated  roses  as  were  found 
here.  So  equable  is  the  climate  that  these  flowers 
bloom  all  the  year  round.  A  macadamized  road 
connects  Esquimalt  with  Victoria,  running  be- 
tween fragrant  hedges,  past  charming  cottages, 
and  through  delightful  pine  groves.  We  see  here 
a  flora  of  great  variety  and  attractiveness,  which 
could  not  exist  in  this  latitude  without  an  unusu- 
ally high  degree  of  temperature,  accompanied  with 
a  great  condensation  of  vapor  and  precipitation  of 
rain.  Victoria  is  admirably  situated,  with  the  sea 
on  three  sides  and  a  background  of  hish-rollins: 
hills,  and  also  enjoys  an  exceptionally  good  cli- 
mate, almost  entirely  devoid  of  extremes. 

The  suburbs  are  thickly  wooded,  where  palm- 
like fern-trees  a  dozen  feet  high,  and  in  great 
abundance,  recalled  specimens  of  the  same  family, 
hardly  more  thrivingly  developed,  which  the  writer 
has  seen  in  the  islands  of  the  South  Pacific.  The 
wild  rose-bushes  were  overburdened  with  their 
wealth  of  fragrant  bloom  ;  we  saw  them  in  June, 
the  favorite  month  of  this  queen  of  flowers.  No 
wonder  that  Marchand,  the  old  French  voyager, 


88  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

when  be  found  himself  here  on  a  soft  June  clay, 
nearly  a  centm-y  ago,  amid  the  annual  carnival  of 
flowers,  compared  these  fields  to  the  rose-colored 
and  pei'fumed  slopes  of  Bulgaria.  If  the  reader 
should  ever  coine  to  this  charming  spot  in  the  far 
Northwest,  it  is  the  author's  hope  that  he  may  see 
it  beneath  just  such  mellow  summer  sunshine  as 
glows  about  us  while  we  record  these  pleasant  im- 
pressions in  the  queen-month  of  roses.  Gluti- 
nously  rich  vines  of  various-colored  honeysuckles 
were  draped  about  the  porticoes  of  the  dwellings, 
whence  they  hung  with  a  self-conscious  grace,  as 
though  they  realized  how  much  beauty  they  im- 
parted to  the  surroundings.  The  drone  of  bees 
and  swift-winged  humming-birds  were  not  want- 
ing, and  the  air  was  laden  with  their  delicious  per- 
fume. The  wild  syringas,  which  in  a  profusion  of 
snow-white  blossoms  lined  the  shaded  roads  here 
and  there,  were  as  fragrant  as  orange-blossoms, 
which,  indeed,  they  much  resemble.  The  air  was 
also  heavy  with  a  dull,  sweet  smell  of  mingled 
blossoms,  among  which  was  the  tall,  graceful  spi- 
rea  with  its  cream-colored  flowers,  so  thickly  set 
as  to  hide  the  leaves  and  branches.  The  maple 
leaves  are  twice  the  usual  size,  and  fruit-trees  bend 
to  the  very  ground  with  their  wealth  of  pears, 
apples,  and  peaches.  The  alders,  like  the  ferns, 
assume  the  size  of  trees,  and  cultivated  flowers 
grow  to  astonishing  proportions  and  beauty.  The 
bark-shedding  arbutus  was  noticeable  for  its  pe- 
culiar habit,  and  its  bare,  salmon-colored  trunk 
contrasting  with  its  neighbors. 


BRITISH   COLUMBIA.  89 

A  portion  of  the  site  of  Victoria  is  set  aside  as 
a  reservation,  and  named  Beacon  Hill  Park,  con- 
taining choice  trees  and  pleasant  paths  bordered 
■with  delicate  shrubbery.  But  the  whole  place  is 
park-like  in  its  attractive  picturesqueness.  In  tiie 
interior  of  the  island  there  is  said  to  be  plenty  of 
game,  such  as  elk  and  red  deer,  foxes  and  beaver. 
These  forests  are  dense  and  scarcely  explored  ; 
sportsmen  do  not  have  to  penetrate  them  far  to 
find  an  abundance  of  game,  so  that  in  the  open 
season  venison  is  abundant  and  cheap  in  the  town. 

British  Columbia,  of  which  this  city  is  the 
capital,  embraces  all  that  portion  of  North  Amer- 
ica lying  north  of  the  United  States  and  west  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Alaska  line.  Its 
area  is  three  hundred  and  forty  thousand  square 
miles,  and  it  certainly  possesses  more  intrinsic 
wealth  than  any  other  portion  of  the  Dominion, 
except  the  eastern  cities  of  Canada.  It  is  but 
sparsely  settled,  and  its  natural  resources  are 
quile  undeveloped. 

The  well-constructed  roads  in  and  about  Vic- 
toria give  it  an  advantage  over  most  newly  set- 
tled places,  and  the  idea  is  worthy  of  all  com- 
mendation. The  seaward,  or  western  shore  of 
Vancouver,  overlooking  the  North  Pacific  is  very 
rocky,  and  is  indented  by  frequent  arms  of  the 
sea,  like  the  fjords  of  Scandinavia,  while  the  sur- 
face of  the  island  is  generally  mountainous. 

The  Haidas  and  the  Timplons  are  the  two  na- 
tive tribes  of  Vancouver,  who  are  represented  to 
have  once  been  very  numerous,  brave,  and  warlike. 


90  THE   NEW  ELDORADO. 

Some  of  their  canoes  were  eighty  feet  long,  and 
most  substantially  coiistriicted,  being  capable  of 
carrying  seventy-five  fighting  men,  with  their 
bows,  arrows,  spears,  and  shields  of  thick  wal- 
rus hide.  These  war-boats  were  made  from  the 
trunk  of  a  single  tree,  shaped  and  hollowed  in  fine 
nautical  lines,  so  as  to  make  them  swift  and  buoy- 
ant, as  well  as  quite  safe  in  these  inland  waters. 
In  these  frail  craft  the  natives  were  perfectly  at 
home,  and  excited  the  admiration  of  the  early 
navigators  by  the  skill  they  displayed  in  managing 
them,  so  that  Admiral  Liitke  named  them  the 
*'  Cossacks  of  the  Sea." 

But  the  Haidas,  like  the  tribes  of  the  Aleutian 
islands  and  the  Alaska  groups  generally,  have 
rapidly  dwindled  into  insignificance  —  slowly  fad- 
ing away.  People  who  subsist  on  fish  and  oil  as 
staples  can  hardly  be  expected  to  evince  much 
enterprise  or  industry.  It  cannot  be  denied,  how- 
ever, that  as  a  race  they  appear  much  more  in- 
telligent and  self-reliant  than  the  aborigines  of 
our  Western  States.  Vincent  Colyer,  special 
Indian  commissioner,  says  with  regard  to  the 
natives  of  the  southern  part  of  Alaska  and  the 
Alexander  Archipelago :  "  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say 
that  if  three  fourths  of  these  Alaska  Indians  were 
landed  in  New  York  as  coming  from  Europe,  they 
would  be  selected  as  among  the  most  intelligent 
of  the  many  worthy  emigrants  who  daily  arrive 
at  that  port." 

When  these  islands  were  first  discovered  by  the 
whites,   the  native   tribes    occupying   them   were 


NATIVE   TRIBES.  91 

almost  constantly  at  war  one  with  another.  The 
different  tribes  even  to-day  show  no  sympathy  for 
each  other,  nor  will  they  admit  that  they  are  of 
the  same  origin.  Each  has  some  theory  of  its  ex- 
clusiveness  and  independence,  all  of  which  is  a 
puzzle  to  ethnologists. 

There  seems  never  to  have  been  any  union  of 
interest  entertained  amono;  them.  Before  and 
after  the  advent  of  the  Russians  tribal  wars  raged 
among  them  incessantly.  Blood  was  the  only 
i-ecognized  atonement  for  offenses,  and  must  be 
washed  out  by  blood  ;  thus  vengeance  was  kept 
alive,  and  civil  war  was  endless.  Bancroft  in 
his  "  Native  Races  of  the  Pacific "  tells  us  that 
the  Aleuts  are  still  fond  of  pantomimic  perform- 
ances ;  of  representing  in  dances  their  myths  and 
their  legends  ;  of  acting  out  a  chase,  one  assum- 
ing the  part  of  hunter,  another  of  a  bird  or  beast 
trying  to  escape  the  snare,  now  succeeding,  now 
failing,  until  finally  a  captive  bird  is  transformed 
into  an  attractive  woman,  who  falls  exhausted  into 
the  hunter's  arms. 

With  well-screened  foot-lights,  verdant  woodland 
surroundings,  characters  assumed  by  a  trained  bal- 
let troupe,  framed  in  tlie  usual  proscenium  boxes, 
with  orchestra  in  fi'ont,  this  would  be  a  fitting  en- 
tertainment for  a  first-class  Boston  or  New  York 
audience. 

The  Indians,  or  portions  of  the  native  race,  seen 
in  and  about  the  streets  of  Victoria  are  of  the 
most  squalid  character,  dirty  and  unintelligent, 
being  altogether  repulsive  to  look  upon. 


92  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

The  Indians  of  the  west  coast  of  the  island  are 
brought  less  in  contact  with  the  whites,  and  still 
keep  up  to  a  certain  extent  their  native  manners 
and  customs,  wearing  fewer  garments  of  civili- 
zation, and  being  satisfied  with  a  single  blanket 
as  a  covering  during  some  portions  of  the  year. 
They  are  fond  of  wearing  curiously  carved  wooden 
masks  at  all  their  festivals,  —  some  representing 
the  head  of  a  bear,  some  that  of  a  huge  uird,  and 
others  forming  exaggerated  human  faces.  There 
seems  to  be  a  spirit  of  caricature  prevailing  among 
them,  as  it  does  among  the  Chinese  and  Japanese. 

These  Vancouver  aborigines  have  an  original 
and  extraordinary  method  of  expressing  tiieir 
waim  regard  for  each  other,  in  isolated  districts 
wheie  they  are  quite  by  themselves.  "When  they 
meet,  instead  of  grasping  hands  or  embracing, 
they  bite  each  other's  shoulders,  and  the  scars 
thus  produced  are  regarded  with  considerable  sat- 
isfaction by  the  recipient.  Their  sacred  rites  are 
sanguinary,  and  their  notions  of  religion  are  of  a 
vague  and  incomprehensible  kind.  They  believe 
in  omens  and  sorcery,  suffering  as  much  from  fear 
of  supernatural  evil  as  the  most  benighted  Afri- 
can tribes.  The  west  coast  of  Vancouver  is  nearly 
always  bleak  ;  the  great  waves  of  the  North  Pa- 
cific breaking  upon  it,  even  in  quiet  weather,  with 
fierce  grandeur,  roaring  sullenly  among  the  rocks 
and  caves. 

The  distant  view  from  the  eastern  side  of  Van- 
couver is  of  a  most  charming  character,  embracing 
the  blue  Olympic  range  of  mountains  in  the  State 


VANCOUVER.  98 

of  Washington,  whose  heads  are  turbaned  with 
snow,  while  the  lofty  undulating  peaks,  taken  en 
masse,  resemble  the  fiercely  agitated  waves  of  the 
sea  ;  a  view  which  vividly  recalled  the  Bernese 
Alps  as  seen  from  the  city  of  Berne. 

Vancouver  is  the  largest  island  on  the  Pacific 
coast,  and  is  well  diversified  Avith  mountains,  val- 
leys, and  long  stretches  of  low  pleasant  shore. 
Its  name  commemoiates  that  of  one  of  the  world's 
great  explorers.  Vancouver  had  served,  previous 
to  these  notable  explorations,  as  an  officer  under 
Captain  Cook  for  two  long  and  eventful  voyages, 
and  was  thus  well  fitted  for  a  discoverer  and  pio- 
neer. He  made  a  careful  survey  of  Puget  Sound 
with  all  of  its  channels,  inlets,  and  bays,  and  wrote 
a  faithful  description  of  the  coast  of  the  mainland 
as  well  as  of  the  islands.  Though  this  was  about 
a  century  ago,  so  faithfully  did  he  perform  his 
work  that  liis  charts  are  still  regarded  as  good  au- 
thority, though  not  absolutely  perfect. 

That  practical  seaman,  in  his  sailing-ship,  puts 
us  to  shame  with  all  our  science  and  steam  facili- 
ties as  regards  surveys  of  this  complicated  region. 
The  coast  survey  organization  of  the  United  States 
has  done  little  more  than  to  corroborate  a  portion 
of  Vancouver's  work.  It  is  surprising  that  the 
government  should  neglect  to  properly  explore 
and  define  by  maps  the  islands,  ch^mnels,  and 
straits  of  the  North  Pacific  coast.  Notwithstand- 
ing our  boasted  enterprise,  we  are  behind  every 
power  of  Europe  in  these  maritime  matters. 

The  island  of  Vancouver  has  an  area  of  eighteen 


94  THE   SEW   ELDORADO. 

thousand  square  miles,  and  is  therefore  larger  than 
Miissitchusetts,  Rhode  Island,  Connecticut,  and 
Delaware  comhiiied.  It  is  only  by  these  familiar 
comparisons  that  we  can  hope  to  convey  clearly 
to  the  mind  of  the  average  leader  such  statistical 
facts,  and  cause  them  to  be  remembered. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  the  favorable  cli- 
mate of  Victoria.  We  should  state  that  the  maxi- 
mum summer  temperature  is  84°  Fah.,  and  the 
minimum  of  the  year  is  22^. 

Frum  here  our  course  lies  in  a  northwest  di- 
rection, leading  through  the  broad  Gulf  of  Geor- 
gia, which  separates  Vancouver  from  British  Co- 
lumbia. Tlie  magnificent  ermine -clad  head  of 
Mount  Baker  is  seen,  for  many  hours,  to  the  east 
of  our  course,  looming  far,  far  above  the  clouds, 
and  radiating  the  glowing  beauty  of  the  sunset, 
"which  happened  to  be  exceptionally  fine  at  the 
close  of  our  first  day  out  from  Victoria.  The 
atmosphere,  sea,  and  horizon  were  all  the  color 
of  gold.  The  surface  of  the  water  was  unbroken 
by  a  ripple,  while  it  flashed  in  opaline  variety  the 
brilliant  hues  of  the  evening  hour.  The  grand 
scenery  which  we  encounter  foreshadows  the  char- 
acter of  the  voyage  of  a  thousand  miles,  more  or 
less,  northward,  to  the  locality  of  the  great  gla- 
ciers, forming  a  vast  interior  line  of  navigation 
nnequaled  elsewhere  for  bold  shores,  depth  of 
water,  numberless  bays,  and  inviting  harbors. 
The  course  is  bordered  for  most  of  the  distance 
with  continuous  forests,  distinctly  reflected  in  the 
placid   surface   of  these   straits   and  sounds.     At 


SAN  JUAN.  95 

times  the  passage,  perhaps  not  more  tluin  a  mile 
in  width,  is  lined  on  either  side  with  mountains 
of  granite,  whose  dizzy  heights  are  capped  with 
snow,  up  whose  precipitous  sides  spruce  and  pine 
trees  struggle  for  a  foothold,  and  clinging  tliere 
thrive  strangely  upon  food  afforded  by  stones 
and  atmosplieric  air.  Occasionally  we  pass  some 
deep,  dark  fjord,  which  pierces  the  mountains  far 
inland,  presenting  mysterious  and  unexplored  vis- 
tas. We  come  upon  the  island  of  San  Juan,  not 
long  after  leaving  Victoria,  which  was  for  a  con- 
siderable period  a  source  of  serious  contention 
between  England  and  America,  the  ownership 
being  finally  settled  by  arbitration,  and  awarded 
to  us  by  the  late  Emperor  of  Germany.  San  Juan 
is  remarkable  for  producing  limestone  in  suffi- 
cient quantity  to  keep  scores  of  lime-kilns  occu- 
pied for  a  hundred  years.  The  island  was  only 
important  to  us  by  its  position,  and  as  establish- 
ing certain  boundary  lines. 

Now  and  again  smoke  is  seen  winding  up- 
wards from  some  rude  but  comfortable  cabin  on 
the  shore,  where  a  white  settler  and  his  Indian 
wife  live  in  semi-civilized  style.  A  rude  garden 
patch  adjoins  the  cabin,  carpeted  with  thriving 
root  crops,  bordered  by  currant  and  gooseberry 
bushes,  while  numerous  wooden  frames  are  reared 
close  by  on  which  to  dry  salmon,  cod,  and  hali- 
but for  winter  use.  Three  or  four  half-breed 
children,  with  a  marvelous  wealth  of  hair,  and 
clothed  in  a  single  garment  reaching  to  the 
knees,  watch  us  with  open  eyes  and  mouths  as 


96  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

we  glide  along  the  smooth  water-way.  At  last 
the  father's  attention  is  called  to  us  by  the  excla- 
mations of  the  papooses,  and  he  waves  us  a  sa- 
lute with  his  slouchy  fur  cap.  It  is  only  a  little 
spot  on  the  lonely  shore,  but  it  is  all  the  world  to 
the  squatter  and  his  brood.  One  pauses  mentally 
for  an  instant  to  contrast  this  type  of  lonely  ex- 
istence with  the  fierce  and  furious  tide  of  life 
which  exists  in  populous  cities.  Steamers,  sailing 
craft,  or  native  canoes  have  no  storms  to  encoun- 
ter here  ;  the  course  is  almost  wholly  sheltered, 
while  coal  or  wood  can  be  procured  at  nearly  any 
place  where  the  steamer  chooses  to  stop.  The 
fierce  swell  of  the  Pacific,  so  very  near  at  hand, 
is  completely  warded  off  by  the  broad  and  beauti- 
ful islands  of  Vancouver,  Queen  Charlotte,  Prince 
of  Wales,-  Baranoff,  and  Chichagoff,  which  form 
a  matchless  panorama  as  they  slowly  pass,  day 
after  day,  clad  in  thrifty  verdure,  before  the  eyes 
of  the  delighted  voyager.  Throughout  so  many 
hours  of  close  observation  one  never  wearies  of 
the  charming  scene. 

The  trip  between  Victoria  and  Pyramid  Har- 
bor, in  many  of  its  features,  recalls  the  voyage 
from  Tromsoe,  on  the  coast  of  Norway,  to  the 
North  Cape,  where  the  traveler  beholds  the  grand 
phenomenon  of  the  midnight  sun,  —  passing  over 
deep,  still  waters,  winding  through  groups  of 
lovely  islands,  covered  with  primeval  forests  and 
veined  with  minerals,  amidst  the  grandest  of 
Alpine  scenery,  where  the  nearer  mountain  peaks 
afe   clad   in    misty  purple   and   those   far   away 


THE  INLAND  SEA.  97 

are  wrapped  in  snow  shrouds,  where  signs  of  hu- 
man life  are  seldom  seen,  and  the  deep  silence 
of  the  passage  is  broken  only  by  the  shrill  cry  oi 
sorae  wandering  sea-bird.  In  both  of  these  north- 
ern regions,  situated  in  opposite  hemispheres, 
grand  mountains,  volcanic  peaks,  and  mammoth 
glaciers  form  the  guiding  landmarks.  The  gla- 
ciers of  Alaska  are  not  only  many  times  as  large 
as  anything  of  the  sort  in  Switzerland,  but  they 
have  the  added  charm  of  the  ever-changing  beau- 
ties of  the  sea,  thus  altogether  forming  scenery 
of  peculiar  and  incomparable  grandeur.  One  of- 
ten finds  examples  of  the  Scotch  and  Italian  lakes 
repeated  again  and  again  on  this  iidand  voyage, 
where  the  delightful  tranquillity  of  the  waters  so 
adds  to  the  appearance  of  profound  depth.  It  re- 
quires but  little  stretch  of  the  imagination  to  be- 
lieve one's  self  upon  the  Lake  of  Como  or  Lake 
Maggiore. 

The  enjoyment  afforded  to  the  intelligent  tour- 
ist on  this  delitrJitf  ul  route  of  travel  is  beinsc  more 
and  more  appreciated  annually,  as  clearly  evinced 
by  the  fact  that  over  two  thousand  excursionists 
participated  in  the  trips  of  steamers  from  Puget 
Sound  to  Sitka  last  year,  by  way  of  Glacier  Bay 
and  Pyramid  Harbor,  representing  nearly  every 
State  in  the  Union,  and  also  embracing  many 
European  travelers.  "  I  thought  it  would  be  as 
cold  as  Greenland,"  said  one  of  these  tourists  to 
us;  "but  after  leaving  Port  Townsend  I  hardly 
once  had  occasion  to  wear  my  overcoat,  night  or 
day,  during  the  whole  of  the  fourteen  days'  sum- 


98  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

mer  voyage  through  Alaska's  Inland  Sea.  The 
thermometer  ranged  between  68°  and  78°  during 
the  whole  trip,  while  the  pleasant  daylight  never 
quite  faded  out  of  the  sky." 

Mount  St.  Ellas,  inexpressibly  grand  in  its  pro- 
portions, is  probably  the  highest  mountain  in 
Alaska,  and,  indeed,  is  one  of  the  half  dozen  lofti- 
est peaks  on  the  globe,  reaching  the  remarkable 
height  of  nearly  twenty  thousand  feet,  according 
to  the  United  States  Coast  Survey.  It  may  fall 
short  of,  or  it  may  exceed,  this  measurement  by  a 
few  hundred  feet.  Owing  to  the  low  point  to 
which  the  line  of  perpetual  snow  descends  in  this 
latitude,  St.  Elias  is  believed  to  present  the  great- 
est snow  climb  of  all  known  mountains.  Another 
notable  peculiarity  of  this  grand  elevation  is,  like 
that  of  Tacoma,  in  its  springing  at  once  from  the 
level  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  whereas  most  moun- 
tains, like  those  of  Colorado,  Norway,  and  Switz- 
erland, say  of  twelve  or  fourteen  thousand  feet  in 
height,  rise  from  a  plain  already  two  or  three 
thousand  feet  above  sea  level,  detracting  just  so 
much  from  their  effectiveness  upon  the  eye,  and 
from  their  apparent  elevation.  Vitus  Behring,  a 
Dane  by  birth  and  the  discoverer  of  the  strait 
which  bears  his  name,  first  sigiited  this  mountain 
on  St.  Ellas'  day,  and  so  gave  it  the  name  which 
it  bears.  When  the  American  whalemen  on  the 
coast  saw  the  summit  of  Mount  Fairweather  from 
the  sea,  they  felt  sure  that  some  days  of  fair 
weather  would  follow,  hence  we  have  the  expres- 
sive name  which  is  bestowed  upon  it.     Mount  St. 


MOUNT  FAIRWEATHER.  99 

Elias,  with  its  snow  and  ice  mantle  reaching  nearly- 
down  to  sea  level,  is  higher  than  any  elevation  in 
Norway  or  Switzerland,  rising  from  its  base  in 
pyramid  form,  straight,  regular,  and  massive,  to 
three  times  the  height  of  our  New  England  giant 
in  the  White  Mountain  range  of  New  Hampshire, 
namely.  Mount  Washington.  Only  the  Hima- 
layas and  the  Andes  exceed  it  in  altitude.  Eleven 
glaciers  are  known  to  come  down  from  the  south 
side  of  St.  Elias,  one  of  which,  named  Agussiz 
Glacier,  is  estimated  to  be  twenty  miles  in  width 
and  fifty  in  length,  covering  an  area  of  a  thou- 
sand square  miles  ! 

Fairweatlier  is  situated  about  two  hundred  miles 
southeast  of  Mount  St.  Elias,  its  hoary  head  being 
often  visible  a  hundred  miles  and  more  at  sea  ; 
risinor  above  the  foo-s  and  clouds,  its  summit  is 
recognizable  while  all  other  land  is  far  below 
the  horizon.  W^e  were  told  that  when  the  earth- 
quake occurred  at  Sitka  in  1847,  this  mountain 
emitted  huge  volumes  of  smoke  and  vapor.  Tiie 
force  of  volcanic  action  in  Alaska  is,  however, 
evidently  diminishing,  though  occasional  slight 
shocks  of  earthquakes  are  experienced,  especially 
on  the  outlying  islands  of  the  Aleutian  group 
and  near  the  mouth  of  Cook's  Inlet. 

Besides  these  loftiest  mountains  named,  — 
"  Rough  quarries,  rocks,  and  hills  whose  heads 
touch  heaven," — Mount  Cook,  Mount  Crillon, 
and  Mount  Wrangel  should  not  be  forgotten. 
Lieutenant  H.  T.  Allen,  U.  S.  A.,  makes  the  height 
of  the  latter  exceed  that  of  Mount  St.  Elias,  but 


100  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

we  think  it  very  questionable.  This  officer's  state- 
ment that  Mount  Wrangel  is  the  birthplace  of 
some  of  the  largest  glaciers  known  to  exist  seems 
much  more  likely  to  be  correct.  In  this  region, 
therefore,  this  far  northwest  territory  of  the 
United  States,  we  find  the  highest  elevations  on 
the  North  American  continent.  The  mountain 
ranges  of  California  and  Montana  unite  with  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  and  turning  to  the  south  and 
west  form  the  Alaska  Peninsula,  finally  disappear- 
ing in  the  North  Pacific,  except  where  a  high 
peak  appears  now  and  then,  raising  its  rocky  crest 
above  the  seti,  like  a  giant  standing  breast-high 
in  the  ocean,  and  thus  they  form  the  Aleutian 
chain  of  treeless  islands,  which  stretch  away  west- 
ward towards  the  opposite  continent.  That  these 
islands  are  all  connected  beneath  the  sea,  from 
Attoo,  the  most  distant,  to  where  they  join  the 
Alaska  Peninsula,  is  made  manifest  by  the  exhibi- 
tion of  volcanic  S3'mpathy.  When  one  of  the  lofty 
summits  emits  smoke  or  fier}'  debris  the  others  are 
similarly  affected,  or  at  least  experience  slight 
shocks  of  earthquake.  So  the  several  islands 
which  form  the  Hawaiian  group  are  believed  to  be 
joined  below  the  ocean  depths,  and  several,  if  not 
all,  of  the  islands  of  the  West  Indies  are  con- 
sidered to  be  similiarly  connected. 

This  has  been  in  some  period,  long  ago,  a  very 
active  volcanic  region,  as  the  loft}'  peaks,  both 
among  the  Aleutian  Islands  and  on  the  mainland, 
which  emit  more  or  less  smoke  and  ashes,  clearly 
testify  ;  not  only  suggestive   of  the  past,  but  sig- 


TEXADA.  101 

nificaiit  of  possible  contingencies  in  the  future. 
There  are,  in  fact,  according  to  the  best  authori- 
ties, sixty-one  volcanic  peaks  in  Alaska.  One  of 
the  extinct  volcanoes  near  Sitka,  Mount  Edge- 
combe, according  to  the  Coast  Pilot,  has  a  diuien- 
sion  at  the  ancient  crater  of  two  thousand  feet 
across,  and  an  elevation  of  over  three  thousand 
feet  above  the  sea.  The  depth  of  the  crater  is 
said  to  be  three  hundred  feet.  From  the  top, 
radiating  downwards  in  singular  regularity,  are  the 
deep  red  gorges  scored  by  the  burning  lava  in  its 
fiery  course,  as  thrown  out  of  the  crater  less  than 
a  hundred  j'eais  ago. 

This  is  a  Mount  Olympus  for  the  natives,  about 
which  mnny  ancient  myths  are  told  by  these  im- 
aginative aborigines. 

For  more  than  twenty-four  hours  after  sailing 
from  Victoria  tlie  irregular,  kelp-fringed  shore  of 
Vancouver,  which  is  three  hundred  miles  long,  is 
seen  on  our  left,  until  presently  the  large,  iron- 
bearing  island  of  Texada,  with  its  tall  summit, 
appears  on  the  right  of  our  course.  The  magnetic 
ore  found  here  in  abundance  is  of  such  purity  as 
to  render  it  suitable  for  the  manufacture  of  the 
highest  grade  of  steel,  and  it  is  shipped  to  the 
furnaces  at  Seattle  and  elsewhere  for  this  purpose. 

It  is  found  in  pursuing  the  voyage  northward 
that  the  fierce  tide-way  prevailing  in  some  of  the 
deep,  narrow  channels  produces  such  turbulent 
rapids  that  steamers  are  obliged  to  wait  for  a 
favorable  condition  of  the  waters  before  attempt- 
ing their  passage,  as  the  adverse  current  runs  at 


102  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

the  rate  of  nine  miles  an  hour.  This  was  espe- 
cially the  case  in  the  Seymour  Narrows,  which  is 
about  nine  hundred  yards  wide,  and  situated  at 
no  great  distance  from  Nanaimo,  in  the  Gulf  of 
Georgia.  It  is  a  far  more  tumultuous  water-way, 
at  certain  stages  of  the  tide  —  which  has  a  rise 
and  fall  of  thirteen  feet  —  than  the  famous  Mael- 
strom on  the  coast  of  Norway.  The  latter  is  also 
caused  by  the  power  of  the  wind  and  tide,  though 
it  was  long  held  as  the  mystery  and  terror  of  the 
ocean. 

The  author  remembers  in  his  school  geography 
a  crude  woodcut,  which  depicted  a  ship  being 
drawn  by  some  mysterious  power  into  a  gaping 
vortex  of  the  ocean,  and  already  half  submerged. 
It  was  intended  to  represent  the  terrible  perils  of 
passing  too  near  the  Maelstrom,  off  the  Lofoden 
Islands.  In  after  years  he  sailed  quietly  across 
this  once  dreaded  spot  in  the  North  Sea,  without 
experiencing  even  an  extra  lurch  of  the  ship. 
Thus  do  the  marvels  and  terrors  of  youth  melt 
away.  Travel  and  experience  make  great  havoc 
in  the  wonderland  of  our  credulity,  and  yet  modern 
discovery  outdoes  in  reality  the  miiacles  of  the 
past. 

A  poweiful  steamer  which  attempted  to  pass 
through  the  Seymour  Narrows  at  an  unfavorable 
state  of  the  water,  last  season,  was  unable  to 
make  way  against  the  current,  and  came  near 
being  wrecked.  By  ciowding  on  all  steam  she 
succeeded  in  holding  her  position  until  the  wa- 
ters subsided,  though  she  made  no  headway  for 


NANAIMO.  103 

two  hours.  It  was  here  that  the  United  States 
steamer  Saranac  was  lost  a  few  years  since,  being 
caught  at  disadvantage  in  the  seething  waters, 
and  forced  upon  the  mid-chaniiel  rocks.  Her 
hull  now  Hes  seventy  fathoms  below  the  surface  of 
the  sea.  Since  this  event  took  place  the  United 
States  ship  Suwanee  struck  on  an  unknown  rock 
farther  north,  and  was  also  totally  wrecked.  Per- 
haps after  a  few  more  national  vessels  are  lost 
in  these  channels  our  government  will  awaken 
from  its  lethargy,  and  have  a  proper  survey 
made  and  reliable  charts  issued  of  this  important 
coast  and  its  intricate  water-ways.  A  single  ves- 
sel is  now  engaged  in  tliis  survey,  but  half  a 
dozen  should  be  employed  in  Alaskan  waters. 
Nanaimo  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  Vancou- 
ver Island,  seventy  miles  from  Victoria,  with 
which  it  is  connected  by  railroad.  It  is  a  thrifty 
little  town,  mainly  supported  by  the  coal  interest, 
though  there  are  two  or  three  manufacturing  es- 
tablishments. The  extensive  coal  mines  in  its 
neighborhood  are  of  great  value,  and  are  con- 
stantly worked.  These  coal  deposits  are  of  the 
bituminous  sort,  particularly  well  adapted  for 
steamboat  use,  and  are  so  situated  as  to  facilitate 
the  growing  commerce  of  these  islands.  Many 
thousands  of  tons  are  shipped  during  the  summer 
months  to  San  Francisco.  We  are  told  that  it 
cost  the  proprietors  of  these  coal  mines  one  dollar 
and  a  half  a  ton  to  place  the  product  on  board 
steamers,  which  on  arriving  at  San  Francisco 
fetches   from    twelve   to   fifteen  dollars   per   ton- 


104  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

There  are  five  mines  worked  here,  giving  employ- 
ment to  some  two  thousand  men,  who  receive 
two  dolhirs  and  a  half  per  day  as  laborers. 

There  is  not  a  lightliouse  upon  any  headland 
amid  all  of  these  meandering  channels,  though  it 
must  be  admitted  that  navigation  is  rarely  im- 
peded for  want  of  light  in  summer,  as  one  can  see 
to  read  common  print  at  midnight  upon  the  ship's 
deck  without  artificial  aid  any  time  during  the 
traveling  or  excui'sion  season  of  the  year. 

Kow  and  again  we  look  ahead  inquiringly  as  we 
thread  the  labyrinth  of  islands  and  wonder  how 
egress  is  possible  from  the  many  mountainous  cliffs 
rising,  sullen  and  frowning,  directly  in  the  steam- 
er's course.  The  exit  from  this  maze  is  quite  in- 
visible ;  but  presently  there  is  a  swift  turn  of  the 
wheel,  the  rudder  promptly  responds,  and  we 
gracefully  round  a  projecting  point  into  another 
lonely,  far-reaching  channel  framed  by  granite 
peaks  a  thousand  feet  in  height. 

At  night,  when  all  but  tlie  watch  were  sleep- 
ing, how  gaunt  and  weird  stood  forth  those  tall, 
black  sentinel  rocks,  past  which  we  were  gliding 
so  silently,  while  oveihead  was  spread  the  broad 
firmanent  of  space,  dimly  lighted  by  heaven's  dis- 
tant lamps  !  How  suggestive  the  dark,  myste- 
rious shadow^s  I  how  active  the  imagination  !  Was 
the  atmosphere  indeed  peopled  with  the  invisible 
spirits  of  bygone  ages?  Did  the  air-waves  vibrate 
with  tlie  history  of  the  long,  long  past,  the  un- 
known story  of  these  silent  fjords  and  deep  water 
gorges?     Is   it  only   thousands,   or  tens  of  thou- 


THE   GULF  OF  GEORGIA.  105 

sands,  of  years  since  the  first  human  beings  ap- 
peared and  disappeared  among  these  now  wild, 
untrodden  shores? 

The  inlets  which  are  found  at  the  head  of  the 
Gulf  of  Georgia,  northeast  of  Vancouver  Island, 
are  miniature  Norwegian  fjords,  deeper  and  darker 
than  the  sombre  Saguenay ;  a  hundred  and  eighty 
fathoms  of  line  will  not  reach  the  bottom.  They 
are  from  forty  to  sixty  miles  in  length,  with  uii 
average  width  of  nearly  two  miles,  being  walled 
by  abrupt  mountains  from  four  to  seven  thousand 
feet  in  height.  A  grand  elevation,  whose  name 
has  escaped  us,  stands  eight  thousand  feet  above 
the  sea  at  the  head  of  Butte  Inlet,  while  Mount 
Alfred,  at  the  head  of  Jarvis  Inlet,  is  still  higher. 
A  remarkable  feature  of  these  elongated  arms  of 
the  sea  is  their  great  depth,  some  of  them  meas- 
uring over  three  hundred  fathoms.  It  is  a  popu- 
lar idea  that  the  phosphorescence  of  the  sea  is 
exhibited  in  its  strongest  effect  in  the  tropics  ; 
but  we  have  seen  in  the  Gulf  of  Georgia,  after 
sunset,  so  brilliant  an  illumination  from  this  cause 
that  it  was  only  comparable  to  liquid  fire,  quite 
equal  in  intensity  to  anything  the  author  has  wit- 
nessed in  the  Indian  Ocean  or  the  Caribbean  Sea. 
It  is  impossible  to  convey  by  the  pen  an  idea  of  the 
novel  splendor  of  the  scene.  A  drop  of  this  flame- 
like water,  dipped  from  the  sea  in  equatorial  or 
Arctic  waters  and  placed  under  the  microscope  is 
found  to  be  teeming  with  the  most  curious  living 
and  active  organisms.  These  myriads  of  tiny 
creatures  are  so  minute  that,  were  it  not  for  the 


106  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

revelations  of  the  microscope,  we  should  not  even 
know  of  their  existence.  Nor  iire  these  infini- 
tesimal objects  the  smallest  representatives  of  ani- 
mal life  ;  glasses  of  greater  power  will  show  still 
more  diminutive  creatures. 

Persons  who  are  accustomed  to  make  sea-voy- 
ages do  not  forget  to  supply  themselves  with  a 
good  but  inexpensive  microscope,  for  use  on  ship- 
board. The  abundant  specimens  of  minute  ani- 
mal and  vegetable  life  which  the  sea  affords, 
form  a  source  of  instructive  amusement  by  which 
many  otherwise  monotonous  hours  are  pleasantly 
beguiled.  A  little  familiarity  with  the  instru- 
ment enables  one  to  profitably  entertain  a  whole 
ship's  company  with  its  powers. 

In  the  region  between  Vancouver  and  Queen 
Charlotte  Island  we  cross  an  open  reach  of  the  sea, 
and  while  the  Pacific  swell  tosses  us  about  after 
the  usual  erratic  fashion  of  its  unpacific  waters, 
we  observe  a  few  ocean  sights  which  serve  pleas- 
antly to  vary  the  experience  of  the  trip.  A  school 
of  humpback  whales  put  in  an  appearance,  full  of 
sport  and  frolic,  in  such  extraordinary  numbers 
that  three  or  four  are  seen  in  the  act  of  spouting 
;ill  the  while.  In  spots  the  sea  is  yellow,  where 
its  surface  is  covered  for  acres  together  with  that 
animated  food  for  other  piscatory  creatures,  the 
jelly-fish.  The  shining,  furry  head  of  a  sea-lion 
comes  up  to  the  surface  now  and  again,  gazing 
curiously  at  us  with  big,  glassy  eyes,  and  turning 
its  face  nimbly  from  side  to  side.  A  school  of 
porpoises  play  about  the  hull  of  the  steamer,  leap- 


ON   THE   PACIFIC.  107 

ing  high  out  of  the  water  and  falling  back  again 
in  graceful  curves.  The  only  shark  we  chanced 
to  meet  with  on  the  entire  voyage  was  observed 
in  our  wake  just  before  entering  Smith's  Sound, 
south  of  Calvert  Island.  In  this  region  the  huge 
gona-bird  was  seen  sailing  slowly  on  the  wing,  re- 
calling the  albatross  of  the  low  latitudes  in  its 
long,  lazy  sweeps,  as  well  as  by  its  size  and  grace- 
fulness. These  bird-monarchs  of  the  north  meas- 
ure eight  feet  from  tip  to  tip,  and  glide  with  or 
against  the  wind  on  their  broad,  outspread  pin- 
ions without  the  least  visible  muscular  exertion, 
a  mystery  of  motive  power  which  is  sure  to  chal- 
lenge the  observer's  curiosity. 

In  the  narrow  passages  the  tall  peaks,  arched 
by  the  soft  gray  of  the  clouds  and  the  clear  blue 
of  the  sky,  cast  deep  shadows  Avhere  the  water 
looked  like  pools  of  ink,  whose  blackness  intensi- 
fied the  fact  of  their  great  but  unknown  depth. 

The  American  whalers  have  never  been  accus- 
tomed to  seek  their  big  game  in  these  immediate 
waters,  preferring  to  attack  the  leviathans  in  lesser 
depths,  such  as  the  waters  of  Behring  Sea,  or  far- 
ther north  in  the  vicinity  of  the  strait,  between 
the  frozen  ocean  and  the  North  Pacific.  There, 
if  a  whale  dove  after  being  struck  by  the  harpoon, 
he  was  sure  very  soon  to  fetch  up  in  the  muddy 
bottom  ;  but  here,  among  the  channels  of  the  isl- 
ands, he  might  dive,  and  dive  again,  to  almost  any 
depth,  and  unless  great  care  was  taken  he  was  lia- 
ble in  his  lightning-like  velocity  to  carry  down 
with  him  a  wliole   boat's  crew  and  all  their  be- 


108  THE  yEW  ELDORADO. 

longings.  Were  it  not  that  the  whaling  industry 
has  gradually  declined  here,  as  it  has  done  in 
all  other  sections  of  the  globe,  the  possession  of 
Alaska,  with  its  great  number  of  safe  harbors, 
would  be  an  invaluable  boon  to  those  of  our  coun- 
trymen engaged  in  that  branch  of  commercial  en- 
terprise. 

Inland  sea  travel  is  the  perfection  of  stearaboat- 
ing,  but  the  rapidly-changing  landscape  of  these 
wild  Alaskan  shores,  rimmed  with  sharp  volcanic 
peaks,  at  last  wearies  the  senses,  and  one  is  forced 
to  seek  a  brief  intermission  by  finding  rest  in 
sleep,  only,  however,  to  again  renew  the  charm 
with  greater  zest  on  the  morrow. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Steamship  Corona  and  her  Passengers.  —  The  New  Eldorado.  — 
The  Greed  for  Gold.  —  Alaska  the  Synonym  of  Glacier  Fields. 
—  Vegetation  of  the  Islands.  —  Aleutian  Islands.  —  Attoo 
our  most  Westerly  Possession. — Native  Whalers.  —  Life  on 
the  Island  of  Attoo.  —  Uualnska  —  Kodiak,  former  Capital  of 
Russian  America.  —  The  Greek  Church.  —  Whence  the  Na- 
tives originally  came. 

OlTR  journey  through  that  portion  of  Alaska 
known  as  the  Inland  Sea  was  made  in  the  steam- 
ship Corona,  Captain  Carroll,  a  commander  who 
has  had  long  experience  in  these  waters.  His 
pleasure  seemed  to  lie  in  the  degree  of  enjoy- 
ment which  he  could  afford  his  passengers,  and 
the  amount  of  information  which  he  was  enabled 
to  impart  to  them.  There  were  on  board  the  Co- 
rona the  members  of  a  large  excursion  party  con- 
ducted by  Raymond  &  Whitcomb  of  Boston, 
numbering  some  eighty  persons.  We  have  rarely 
seen  together  a  large  party  of  ladies  and  gentle- 
men embracing  so  many  cultured  and  agreeable 
persons.  They  had  already  occupied  some  weeks 
in  a  tour  of  Mexico  and  southern  California.  It 
was  exceedingly  pleasant  to  see  the  courtesy  and 
consideration  exercised  among  them  towards  each 
other,  —  amenities  which  go  so  far  to  lighten  the 
inevitable  inconveniences  of  travel,  and  to  en- 
hance its  enjoyments.     Oftentimes  friendships  are 


110  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

formed  under  such  circumstances  which  continue 
through  every  exigency  to  the  very  end  of  life. 

Having  reached  forty-nine  degrees  and  four  min- 
utes North  Latitude,  we  come  to  the  boundary 
line  between  British  Columbia  and  the  United 
States,  Dixon  Entrance  being  on  the  left  :ind  Fort 
Tongas  on  the  right.  Here  the  fai-reaching  Port- 
land Canal,  or  more  properly  channel,  penetrates 
the  mainland  for  a  great  distance,  precisely  like 
the  Norwegian  fjords,  presenting,  with  its  various 
arms,  stupendous  watery  caiions,  whence  arise 
mountain  precipices  thousands  of  feet  high  on 
either  side  of  the  deep  narrow  course,  their  heads 
shrouded  in  perpetual  snow.  Tliis  channel,  or 
fjoril,  runs  neaily  due  north,  and  forms  a  boundary 
line  to  its  head  between  the  English  and  United 
States  possessions. 

Opposite  and  just  south  of  Fort  Tongas  lies 
Fort  Simpson,  on  British  soil,  and  close  at  hand 
is  Metla-katla,  where  that  self-sacrificing  mission- 
ary, Mr.  Duncan,  gathered  and  established  a  vil- 
lage of  a  thousand  Christian  residents  from  the 
various  savage  tribes  of  the  vicinity.  By  his  indi- 
vidual effort,  with  almost  miraculous  success,  he 
raised  from  the  lowest  depths  of  barbarous  life  a 
law-abiding,  religious,  industrious,  and  self-sup- 
porting community,  who  justly  considered  him 
their  moral  and  physical  savior.  Official  persecu- 
tion drove  Mr.  Duncan  from  Metla-katla  to  the 
nearest  available  American  island,  namely,  An- 
netta,  lying  some  sixty  miles  northward.  Eight 
hundred   of   these   aborigines  whom   he  had  re- 


THE  METLA-KATLA   INDIANS.  HI 

claimed  from  savage  life  and  its  terrible  practices 
have  followed  him  with  their  families,  freely  aban- 
doning all  their  property  and  improvements  at 
Metla-katla,  and  are  now  struggling  to  create  for 
themselves  a  new  and  permanent  home  under  the 
United  States. 

The  Senate  committee,  whose  members  lately 
visited  Alaska,  made  a  call  at  Annetta,  and 
"  found,"  as  one  of  its  members  writes  to  the 
press,  "  the  Indians  living  in  an  apparent  condition 
of  contentment,  and  engaged  in  almost  all  the  pur- 
suits of  the  whites.  Their  execution  of  artistic 
designs  upon  silver  wrought  by  themselves  into 
bracelets,  rings,  and  all  kinds  of  jewelry  is  mar- 
velous. Baskets  made  in  brilliant  colors  from 
stripped  reeds  constitute  a  beautiful  and  artistic 
employment  of  most  of  the  women  of  the  tribe. 
Their  particular  ambition  is  their  anxiety  to  pos- 
sess lands  in  severalty,  or  to  have  cei'tain  parcels 
set  aside  for  them,  that  they  may  cultivate  and 
hold  in  individual  right.  They  ask  that  the  whole 
of  Gravine  Island  be  given  to  their  tribe.  They 
found  the  state  of  the  morals  of  the  Indian  women 
at  Annetta,  or,  as  they  call  it,  New  Metla-katla,  far 
above  the  average  of  Indian  women  of  this  Terri- 
tory. At  Sitka  the  committee  visited  the  habita- 
tions of  the  Indians,  and  learned  much  from  per- 
sonal intercourse  as  to  their  habits  and  needs.  It 
was  found  that  the  companionship  and  virtue  of 
the  women  is  a  matter  of  simply  dollars  and  cents, 
and  not  difficult  to  negotiate  for." 

"  The  committee  were  surprised  to  observe  such 


112  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

an  apparent  freedom  from  rowdyism,  quarrels,  and 
disturbances  of  any  chai'acter  in  any  portion  of  the 
Territory,  and  remarked  the  entire  absence  of  six- 
shooters  about  the  person  of  a  single  individual,  a 
feature  always  so  prominent  in  the  mining  camps 
of  the  West.'' 

Until  Alaska  —  The  New  Eldorado  —  came 
into  our  possession,  it  was  from  the  persistent  and 
adventurous  fur-traders  that  our  knowledge  of  the 
country  was  almost  solely  obtained.  To  most  of 
the  public  it  was  (and  is  still  to  many)  scarcely 
more  than  a  geographical  expression,  occupying 
an  insignificant  space  on  the  extreme  northwest 
portion  of  the  maps  of  Xorth  America,  without  any 
regard  being  paid  to  the  scale  on  which  the  other 
States  and  Territories  of  the  country  are  deline- 
ated. The  fact  nevertheless  stares  us  in  the  face, 
that  Alaska  is  nearly  as  large  as  the  whole  of  the 
United  States  lying  east  of  the  JNIississippi  River, 
or  three  times  as  large  as  France.  Within  the  last 
twenty  years  greater  intelligence  has  been  shown, 
in  part  through  missionaries,  —  self-sacrificing  and 
devout  men,  —  who  have  sought  by  their  teachings 
to  abolish  the  wild  superstitions  of  the  natives, 
together  with  their  cruel  rites  of  Shamanism.  Or- 
ganized companies  of  explorers,  as  well  as  enter- 
prising miners  and  prospectors,  have  also  liberally 
furnished  us  with  general  information  relating  to 
this  great  outlying  province,  Avhich  has  been  found 
to  be  so  full  of  mineral  wealth  and  future  promise. 
But  so  vast  is  the  Territory,  so  varied  the  climate, 
and  so  undeveloped  are  the  means  of  access  to  its 


AGENTS   OF  PROGRESS  IN  ALASKA.      113 

several  parts,  that  our  infonnation  as  regards  de- 
tail is  still  very  meagre.  There  are  not  ten  miles 
of  roadway  in  all  of  Alaska  outside  of  the  island 
of  Kodiak  ;  or  rather,  we  should  say,  the  island 
just  opposite  Kodiak,  namely.  Wood  Island,  which 
has  a  road  constructed  completely  round  it,  cov- 
ering a  dozen  miles  or  thereabouts.  The  only 
road  at  Sitka  is  not  over  a  mile  and  a  half  in 
length,  and  these  two  are  the  only  ones  in  this 
vast  Territory.  Two  objects  of  commercial  gain, 
the  profitable  fur-trade  and  seeking  for  gold,  have 
been  tiie  great  agents  of  progress  and  development 
thus  far  in  Alaska.  In  a  like  manner  it  was  the 
greed  for  gold  that  first  sent  the  Spaniards  to  iMex- 
ico  and  Peru  ;  in  pursuit  of  the  lucrative  fur-traf- 
fic the  French  and  Britons  opened  the  way  for 
civilization  in  Canada.  Here  in  Alaska  it  will 
not  be  philanthropy,  —  some  of  whose  noblest  ex- 
ponents are  upon  the  ground,  —  but  self-interest ; 
not  government  enterprise,  but  the  seeking  for 
precious  metals,  which  will  gradually  unfold  the 
great  wealth  and  resources  of  this  extensive  prov- 
ince, whose  area  is  greater  than  the  thirteen  orig- 
inal States  of  this  Union.  The  hope  of  commer- 
cial gain  has  doubtless  done  nearly  as  much  for 
the  cause  of  truth  and  progress  as  the  love  of 
truth  itself.  The  course  of  nmltitudes,  guided  by 
the  natural  instinct  of  selfishness,  will  be  overruled 
by  a  higher  power  for  the  general  good. 

The  very  name  of  Alaska  has  to  the  popular 
ear  a  ring  of  glacier  fields  and  snow-clad  peaks, 
conveying  a  frigid  impression  of  the  climate  quite 


114  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

contrary  to  fact.  The  most  habitable  portions  of 
the  country  lie  between  55°  and  60°  north,  about 
the  same  latitude  as  that  of  Scotland  and  south- 
ern Scandinavia,  but  the  area  of  this  portion  of 
Alaska  is  greater  than  that  of  both  these  coun- 
tries combined.  The  name  is  derived  from  Al- 
ay-ck-sa,  which  was  given  to  the  mainland  by 
the  aborigines,  and  which  signifies  "  great  coun- 
try." On  the  old  maps  it  is  very  properly  desig- 
nated as  Russian  America,  and  so  it  really  was 
until  its  transfer  from  the  possession  of  that  gov- 
ernm.ent  to  our  own.  It  was  at  the  request  of 
Charles  Sumner,  whose  able,  eloquent,  and  con- 
sistent advocacy  did  so  much  towards  its  acquire- 
ment, that  the  aboriginal  title  of  Alaska  was 
adopted.  The  portion  of  the  cotmtry  which  is 
at  present  visited  by  excuiTionists  is  the  south- 
eastern coast  line  and  the  archipelago  of  the  Sit- 
kan  Islands  or  Alexander  group.  If  one  desires 
to  reach  the  vast  country  and  islands  lying  to  the 
west  and  northwest,  the  proper  way  to  do  so  is 
to  sail  direct  from  San  Francisco  for  Unalaska 
and  Kodiak.  The  last  named  island  lies  south  of 
Cook's  Inlet,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  volcanic 
regions  in  the  Territor}-.  Sitka  is  five  luiudred 
and  fift}'  miles  to  the  eastward  of  Kodiak,  Cook's 
Inlet  is  well  named,  as  the  great  discoverer  sailed 
to  its  very  head  in  1778,  being  the  first  white 
man  who  ever  did  so,  and,  indeed,  few  have  done 
it  since.  This  was  while  he  was  prosecuting  his 
vain  search  for  a  northwest  passage  around  the 
continent   of    America.     The   finest   and   largest 


DOMESTIC   GARDENING  IN  KODIAK.      116 

salmon  which  were  ever  known  are  taken  in 
Cook's  Inlet,  reaching  the  weight  of  one  hundred 
pounds  in  some  instances,  and  measuring  six  feet 
in  length.  The  island  of  Kodiak  is  also  famous 
for  its  excellent  and  abundant  salmon  fisheries. 

In  1874  a  committee  from  the  Icelandic  resi- 
dents of  Wisconsin,  aided  by  our  government, 
made  an  excursion  to  Alaska  to  determine  whether 
it  would  be  advisable  to  recommend  their  people 
in  Iceland  to  seek  homes  in  and  about  Kodiak. 
The  report  of  this  committee,  which  consisted  of 
three  experienced  and  intelligent  men,  was  pub- 
lished from  the  government  printing-office  in 
Wasliington,  and  from  it  we  quote  as  follows  :  — 

"  Potatoes  grow  and  do  well,  although  the  na- 
tives have  not  the  slightest  idea  of  how  they 
should  be  cultivated,  which  goes  to  show  they 
would  thrive  excellently  if  properly  cared  for. 
Cabbages,  turnips,  and  the  various  garden  vege- 
tables have  great  success,  and  to  judge  from  the 
soil  and  climate  there  is  no  reason  why  everything 
that  succeeds  in  Scotland  should  not  succeed  at 
Kodiak.  Pasture  land  is  so  excellent  on  the 
island,  and  the  hay  harvest  so  abundant,  that 
our  countrymen  would  here,  just  as  in  Iceland, 
make  sheep  breeding  and  cattle-raising  their  chief 
method  of  livelihood.  The  quality  of  the  grass 
is  such  that  the  milk,  the  beef,  and  mutton  must 
be  excellent;  and  we  had  also  an  opportunity  to 
try  these  at  Kodiak." 

The  purpose  of  colonizing  portions  of  Alaska 
with   people  from   Iceland  is  being  revived,  and 


IIG  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

active  measures  to  this  end  are  now  progressing. 
The  people  of  that  country  are  eager  to  avail 
themselves  of  such  an  opportunit}'.  They  are 
being  gradually  crowded  out  of  their  native  land 
by  the  increased  flow  of  volcanic  matter  over 
their  plains  and  valleys.  Alaska,  while  it  affords 
them  in  certain  portions,  say  the  valley  of  the 
Yukon,  a  climate  similar  to  their  own,  ofi;ers  them 
also  many  advantages  over  the  place  of  their 
nativity.  It  is  authoritatively  stated  that  over 
fifty  thousand  souls  will  gladly  avail  themselves  of 
this  chance  to  emigrate  to  Alaska,  provided  our 
government  will  aid  them  in  the  matter  of  trans- 
portation. At  this  writing,  in  the  village  of 
Afognak,  on  the  island  of  Kodiak,  with  a  popula- 
tion of  three  hundred  natives,  over  one  hundred 
acres  of  rich  land  is  planted  in  potatoes  and  tur- 
nips, and  has  yielded  annually  a  large  crop  of  ex- 
cellent vegetables  for  three  or  four  consecutive 
years.  If  it  were  necessary  we  could  point  to 
several  other  successful  agricultural  developments 
in  islands  even  less  favorably  situated  than  is  the 
Kodiak  group.  Nevertheless,  there  are  plenty  of 
writers  who  assert  that  domestic  vegetables  will 
not  grow  in  Alaska.  One  has  no  patience  with 
such  perversion  of  facts. 

Miss  Kate  Field  says  in  a  late  published  article 
relative  to  Alaska  :  "  In  agriculture  Alaska  is  not 
promising,  but  the  country  is  by  no  means  as 
impossible  in  this  respect  as  it  has  been  repre- 
sented. '  There  is  not  an  acre  of  grain  in  the 
whole  territory,'  wrote  Whymper.     Because  there 


ATTOO.  117 

was  no  grain  grown,  it  by  no  means  follows  that 
grain  cannot  be  grown  in  certain  localities.  Hun- 
dreds of  acres  of  land  near  Wrangel  can  be  drained 
and  cultivated.  The  Indians  on  the  neighboring 
islands  raise  tons  of  potatoes  and  turnips  for  their 
own  consumption.  Butter  made  for  me  by  the 
Scotch  housekeeper  of  Wrangel  mission  was  a 
sweet  boon,  and  proved  that  cows  were  a  success 
in  that  region,  and  that  dairies  were  a  mere  ques- 
tion of  time.*' 

The  island  of  the  Aleutian  group  situated  the 
farthest  seaward  is  named  Attoo,  and  forms  the 
most  westerly  point  of  the  possessions  of  the 
United  States.  This  island  is  situated  about 
seven  thousand  five  hundred  miles  in  a  straight 
line  from  the  eastern  coast  of  Maine,  and  is  a 
little  over  three  thousand  miles  west  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, making  that  city  about  the  central  point 
between  the  extreme  east  and  west  of  this  Union. 
It  would  be  neai'er,  if  one  desired  to  reach  Eng- 
land from  Attoo,  to  continue  his  journey  west- 
ward, rather  than  to  travel  east  and  cross  the 
Atlantic.  A  few  moments'  examination  of  the 
globe  or  a  good  map  of  the  world  is  especially 
desirable  in  this  connection,  and  unless  one  is 
already  familiar  with  this  region  will  prove  in- 
teresting and  instructive.  The  Aleutian  group, 
besides  innumerable  islets  and  rocks,  contains 
over  fifty  islands  exceeding  three  miles  in  length, 
seven  of  them  being  over  forty  miles  long.  Uni- 
mak,  which  is  the  largest,  is  over  seventy  miles 
long,  with  an  average  width  of  twenty. 


118  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

It  seems  almost  impossible  to  conceive  of  these 
islands  having  ever  been  densely  populated,  where 
human  life  is  so  sparsely  represented  to-day,  and 
yet  scientific  investigation  gives  ample  proof  that 
in  tiie  far  past  every  cove  and  bay  echoed  to  the 
cry  of  the  successful  otter  hunter,  and  the  beaches 
were  lined  with  numberless  bidarkas  or  native 
canoes.  The  mummies  which  W.  H.  Dall  brought 
hence  may  have  been  ten  centuries  old.  This 
able  investigator  tells  us  of  ruined  villages  and 
deserted  hearths,  to  be  found  in  almost  any 
sheltered  cove  or  favorably  situated  upland.  A 
few  strokes  of  the  pick  and  the  spade  is  sure  to 
unearth  arrow-heads,  stone  axes,  and  chipped  im- 
plements of  flint,  or  perhaps  even  the  singularly 
proportioned  bones  of  a  now  extinct  human  race. 
Bones  have  been  exhumed  on  these  islands  which 
have  puzzled  scientists  to  account  for. 

When  these  islands  were  discovered  by  the 
Russians  the  inhabitants  of  Attoo  were  numer- 
ous, warlike,  and  brave,  being  well  supplied  with 
otter  skins,  and  altogether  were  a  self-reliant  and 
thrifty  tribe.  Now  the  place  contains  but  one 
small  village,  numbering  about  a  hundred  and 
twenty  souls,  situated  on  the  south  side  of  the 
island  in  a  sheltered  cove. 

There  are  residents  living  upon  Attoo  to-day 
who  have  in  their  time  witnessed  two  wrecks  of 
Japanese  vessels  upon  their  shores ;  and  who  can 
say  that  Attoo  was  not  originally  peopled  in  this 
manner  by  Asiatics  thousands  of  years  ago?  It 
was  so  late  as  1861   that  the  last  Jsipanese  junk 


ATTO   WHALERS.  119 

was  stranded  upon  the  island  ;  three  of  the  Japa- 
nese sailors  surviving  were  ultimately  sent  home 
by  way  of  Siberia  overland. 

The  sea-otter  has  been  driven  from  this  im- 
mediate neighborhood  by  too  vigorous  and  indis- 
criminate pursuit,  but  the  sea-lion,  various  water- 
fowls, and  plenty  of  cod,  halibut,  and  salmon  still 
abound  among  these  lonely  islands  of  the  North 
Pacific.  Occasionally  a  dead  whale  is  stranded 
on  the  shore,  which  is  considered  a  cause  for  great 
rejoicing,  every  part  of  the  animal  being  utilized 
by  the  natives.  No  matter  how  putrid  the  flesh 
may  be,  it  is  eagerly  eaten  by  these  people,  both 
raw  and  cooked.  When  a  school  of  whales  appears 
in  sight  of  these  shores,  the  natives  go  out  in  their 
frail  boats,  and  with  lances  so  prepared  as  to  work 
into  the  vitals  of  the  big  creatures,  they  pierce 
them  in  the  most  vulnerable  places,  leaving  the 
animal  to  die  where  it  will,  and  trusting  to  the 
currents  to  carry  the  body  where  they  can  reach 
it.  To  their  lances  there  are  securely  attached 
inflated  sealskin  buoys,  which  render  diving  a 
very  laborious  exertion  to  the  whales,  and  which 
aid  finally  in  securing  the  carcass.  In  this  way, 
it  is  said,  the  natives  get  one  whale  out  of 
fifteen  or  twenty  which  they  succeed  in  harpoon- 
ing. Whales,  singular  to  say,  are  more  esteemed 
as  food  by  all  the  Alaskan  shoi'e  tribes  than  any 
other  product  of  the  sea,  or,  in  fact,  any  other  sort 
of  food.  The  securing  of  one  is  an  event  cele- 
brated with  limitless  feasting  and  rejoicing.  A 
New  England  whale-ship  captain  told  the  writer 


120  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

that  lie  luid  seen  these  natives  cut  long  strips  of 
blubber  from  the  body  of  a  stranded  whale,  which 
had  been  so  long  dead  that  it  was  with  difficulty 
he  could  breathe  the  atmosphere  to  leeward  of  the 
carcass,  and  chew  upon  the  same  with  the  greatest 
relish  until  it  had  entirely  disappeared  down  their 
throats,  the  oil  dripping  all  the  while  in  small 
streams  from  the  corners  of  their  mouths.  This 
is  not  a  practice  confined  to  the  Aleuts,  but  ex- 
tends throughout  the  several  groups  of  islands,  and 
is  also  a  marked  habit  of  the  Eskimos  proper, 
living  both  north  and  south  of  Behring  Strait,  and 
on  the  coast  of  the  Polar  Sea. 

"  The  natives  would  rather  have  a  dead  whale 
drift  ashore,"  says  Mr.  George  Wardman,  United 
States  Treasury  agent  in  Alaska,  "than  to  own 
the  best  crop  of  the  biggest  farm  in  the  United 
States.  Dead  whale  is  a  great  blessing  in  the 
Aleutian  part  of  our  Alaska  possessions,  and  agri- 
cultural pioducts  are  but  little  sought  after  or 
valued.  The  dead  whale  may  be  so  putrid  that 
the  effluvia  arising  from  it  will  blacken  the  white 
p;iint  of  a  vessel  lying  one  liundred  yards  distant, 
but,  all  the  same,  the  whale  is  a  blessing." 

There  is  a  variety  store  kept  on  Attoo  by  an 
agent  of  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company,  where 
the  natives  exchange  their  furs  for  tea,  sugar, 
and  hard  biscuit,  besides  tobacco  and  a  few  fancy 
articles. 

The  mountains  whicli  surround  the  settlement 
are  two  or  three  thousand  feet  in  height,  "  rock- 
ribbed  and   ancient   as  the  sun,"  and  are  white 


DRIFT-WOOD.  121 

with  snow  for  a  considerable  portion  of  the  year. 
These  Aleutiiin  Islands,  bounded  by  wave-battered 
rocks,  stretching  far  out  in  the  Pacific  towards 
Asia,  have  no  trees,  the  soil  not  having  sufficient 
depth  to  support  them,  but  they  are  thickly  cov- 
ered with  a  low-growing,  luxuriant  vegetation  in 
great  variety.  Between  the  mountains  and  the 
sea  are  many  natural  prairies,  with  a  rich  soil  of 
vegetable  mould  suitable  for  domestic  gardening. 
The  wood  consumed  by  the  inhabitants  as  fuel  is 
the  product  of  drift-logs  or  trees  reclaimed  from 
the  sea.  On  the  breaking  up  of  winter  in  the 
large  islands  at  the  northeast  and  on  the  mainland, 
the  unsealing  of  the  ice-bound  rivers  sends  down 
from  the  great  forests  through  which  they  flow 
thousands  of  fallen  trees,  many  of  which  are  very 
large.  This  is  especially  the  case  with  the  Yukon 
River,  which  empties  its  immense  accumulation  of 
debi'is  into  Norton  Sound,  and  the  Kuskoquin, 
emptying  into  a  bay  of  the  same  name  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  farther  south.  When  these 
tree  trunks  find  their  way  to  the  open  sea,  the 
prevailing  currents  bear  them  southward  to  the 
Aleutian  Islands,  where  a  large  number  become 
stranded  at  Attoo,  and  are  promptly  secured 
and  stored  for  use  as  fuel.  It  would  seem  to  be 
rather  a  precarious  source  of  supply  to  depend 
upon  for  this  purpose,  but  we  were  told  that,  as  a 
rule,  it  was  ample  to  meet  the  demand.  There  is 
also  a  stocky  vine  growing  in  great  abundance 
upon  the  islands,  which  the  native  women  gather 
and  dry,  and  this  makes  a  quick,  strong  fire.     At 


122  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

certain  seasons  the  women  may  be  seen  in  long 
lines  coming  from  the  hills,  each  one  bearing  upon 
her  back  a  monster  bundle  of  this  product,  which 
they  store  for  use  when  the  other  source  of  fuel 
fails  them  or  proves  insufficient.  The  people  of  At- 
too  have  tamed  the  wild  goose,  of  which  they  rear 
cousiilerable  flocks  for  domestic  use,  similar  to  our 
New  England  custom  with  the  tame  bird,  and  it  is 
said  they  are  the  only  tribe  in  Alaska  who  do  so. 
Loner  since  the  bk;e  fox  was  bv  some  means  intro- 
duced  upon  the  island,  and  being  at  first  properly 
protected,  the  place  has  become  fairly  stocked  with 
them,  a  certain  number  only  being  killed  annually 
by  the  natives,  and  from  their  valuable  fur  these 
Aleuts  realize  quite  a  large  sum.  Were  it  neces- 
sary, lumber  could  be  brought  in  small  quantities 
from  the  island  of  Kodiak,  or  even  from  the  main- 
land far  away  ;  but  there  is  very  little  use  for  it 
in  Attoo,  the  houses  being  built  of  drift-logs  and 
not  of  boards.  Besides  the  low,  thrifty  species  of 
shrubbery  growing  on  these  islands,  there  are  also 
wild  berries  in  great  abundance,  the  original  seeds 
having  probably  been  brought  by  tlie  birds  from 
the  mainland.  Grasses  grow  luxuriantly,  being 
cut  and  cured  to  feed  a  few  small  Siberian  cattle 
through  the  winter  months,  though  it  is  hardly 
necessary  to  house  them  at  all.  They  are  kept 
on  only  one  or  two  of  the  larger  islands  of  the 
group.  Domestic  animals  might  do  well  here  with 
a  little  care,  but  the  attention  of  the  natives  is 
given  almost  exclusively  to  the  products  of  the  sea, 
whose  very  bounty  demoralizes  them.     At   Una- 


UNALASKA.  123 

laska,  of  this  same  group,  the  natural  grass  grows 
to  six  feet  in  height,  and  with  such  body  that  one 
must  part  it  by  exerting  considerable  force  in  or- 
der to  get  through.  The  natives  braid  it  into  use- 
ful and  ornamental  articles,  hats,  baskets,  mats, 
and  the  like.  This  prolific  growth  is  represented 
to  be  remarkably  nutritious,  and  cattle  are  very 
fond  of  it.  W.  H.  Dall  predicted  that  this  Aleu- 
tian district  will  yet  furnish  California  with  its 
best  butter  and  cheese ;  while  Dr.  Kellogg,  bot- 
anist of  the  United  States  Exploring  Expedition, 
wrote  :  "  Unalaska  abounds  in  grasses,  with  a  cli- 
mate better  adapted  for  haying  than  the  coast  of 
Oregon.  The  cattle  are  remarkably  fat,  and  the 
milk  abundant."  This  is  the  refitting  station  for 
all  vessels  passing  between  the  Pacific  Ocean  and 
Behring  Strait,  and  here  also  is  the  principal  trad- 
ing post  of  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company. 

Mr.  George  Wardman,  United  States  Treasury 
Agent,  stated  that  on  his  late  visit  to  this  island 
he  saw  in  one  warehouse  sea-otter  skins  ready  for 
shipment  which  were  worth  quarter  of  a  million 
dollars  in  the  London  market.  This  will  repre- 
sent, perhaps,  two  thirds  of  all  this  class  of  pelts 
furnished  to  the  world  annually,  as  comparatively 
few  go  from  any  other  quarter.  Other  land  furs 
are  brought  here  for  shipment  to  San  Francisco, 
two  fur  companies  having  headquarters  at  Una- 
laska. The  place  has  some  sixty  native  houses, 
and  perhaps  five  hundred  inhabitants.  Unalaska 
is  known  to  be  rich  in  both  gold  and  silver  mines, 
one  of  which  is  owned  by  a  San  Francisco  com- 


124  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

pany,  and  wliich  it  is  proposed  to  fully  develop 
and  work  during  the  coming  year,  careful  tests  hav- 
ing proven  its  prospective  value. 

The  same  fertility  seen  at  Unalaska  exists  also 
at  Kodiak  and  Atagnak,  where  the  small  breed  of 
cattle  that  live  upon  the  grass  are  as  fat  as  seals, 
and  requh-e  no  shelter  all  the  year  round.  There 
is  a  small  ship-yard  near  the  first  named  island, 
where  vessels  of  twenty-five  and  thirty  tons  are 
built  for  fishing  in  the  neighboring  sea.  These 
two  islands,  situated  just  off  the  eastern  shore  of 
tlie  Alaska  Peninsula,  are  called  the  garden  spots 
of  this  region,  enjoying  more  sunshine  and  fair 
weather  than  any  other  part  of  the  Territory. 
They  contain  rich  pastures,  beautiful  woodlands, 
and  broad  open  fields,  which  during  the  summer 
are  carpeted  with  constant  verdure  and  wdld  flow- 
ers. Kodiak  was  for  a  long  time  the  capital  of  the 
Russian  American  possessions,  but  the  govern- 
ment headquarters  were  removed  for  some  reason 
to  Sitka.  On  Wood  Island,  opposite  Kodiak,  is 
the  clear  and  spacious  lake  which  so  long  fur- 
nished ice  to  the  dwellers  on  the  Pacific  coast,  but 
particularly  to  the  people  of  San  Francisco.  The 
whole  range  of  Aleutian  Islands  from  Attoo  to 
Kodiak  contains  between  four  and  five  thousand 
inhabitants,  nearly  all  of  whom  are  called  Chris- 
tians, being  members  of  the  Greek  Church.  They 
are  very  generally  half-breeds,  that  is,  born  of  in- 
termarriage between  emigrant  Russians  and  native 
women.  Professor  Davidson  was  struck  by  the 
strong  resemblance  of  the  aboriginal  tribes  inhab- 


NATIVE  ARTlSTiS.  125 

iting  these  islands  to  the  Chinese  and  Japanese, 
and  was  satisfied  that  they  came  originally  from 
Asia.  There  are  many  very  intelligent  persons 
among  them.  "  They  are  docile,  honest,  industri- 
ous, and  very  ingenious,"  says  Professor  Davidson. 
The  women  of  Unalaska  have  always  been  noted 
for  the  beauty  and  variety  of  their  woven  grass 
mats  and  various  other  ornamental  work,  particu- 
larly in  the  combinations  of  colors  and  unique 
designs. 

This  cunning  of  the  hand  and  artistic  ingenuity 
is  not  confined  to  the  women  ;  the  men  are  also 
skillful  carvers  and  engravers.  Whenever  they 
have  been  afforded  a  fair  degree  of  instruction, 
and  the  opportunity  to  exercise  their  ability,  they 
have  proved  themselves  to  be  adepts  especially  in 
this  last  mentioned  branch  of  skilled  labor.  We 
have  seen  artistic  work  produced  by  a  native  Un- 
alaskan  which  it  was  difficult  to  believe  was  not 
the  performance  of  some  experienced  and  thor- 
oughly educated  European. 

The  thirty-eight  charts  in  the  Hydrographic 
Atlas  of  Tebenkoff  were  all  drawn  and  engraved 
on  copper  by  a  native  Aleut. 

On  the  island  of  Unga,  one  of  the  Shumagin 
group,  situated  half  way  between  Unalaska  and 
Kodiak,  is  a  small  settlement  of  a  score  of  white 
men  and  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  natives.  By 
a  regulation  of  our  Treasury  Department,  only 
natives  are  allowed  to  hunt  the  sea-otter,  and 
therefore  these  white  men  have  married  native 
wives,  thereby  becoming  natives  in  the  eyes  of  the 


126  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

law.  The  revenue  derived  from  the  sea-otter  trade 
on  this  ishind  is  said  to  average  from  six  to  seven 
hundred  dollars  a  year  to  every  family.  Off  the 
southern  shore  of  the  Shumagin  group  is  the  best 
cod  fishing  bank  that  is  known.  It  is  estimated 
that  a  million  good-sized  cod  were  taken  here  last 
season  and  shipped  to  San  Francisco.  This  me- 
tropolis of  California  once  depended  upon  the 
product  of  our  Newfoundland  fisheries  for  its 
salted  cod,  but  has  drawn  its  supply  for  the  last 
few  years  almost  entirely  from  the  coast  of  Alaska, 
and  the  consumption  has  increased  every  year. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Cook's  Inlet.  —  Manufacture  of  Quass.  —  Native  Piety.  —  Mum- 
mies. —  The  North  Coast.  —  Geographical  Position.  —  Shal- 
lowness of  Behring  Sea.  —  Alaskan  Peninsula.  —  Size  of 
Alaska.  —  A  "  Terra  Incognita." —  Reasons  why  Russia  sold 
it  to  our  Government.  —  The  Price  Comparatively  Nothing. 
—  Rental  of  the  Seal  Islands.  —  Mr.  Seward's  Purchase 
turns  out  to  be  a  Bonanza. 

Cook's  Inlet,  which  lies  to  the  north  of  the 
ishmd  of  Kodiak,  was  esteemed  by  the  Russians 
to  be  the  pleasantest  portion  of  Alaska  in  the 
summer  season,  with  its  bright  skies  and  well 
wooded  shores.  It  stretches  far  inland  in  a  north- 
easterly direction,  and  is  quite  out  of  the  region 
of  the  fogs  which  prevail  on  the  coast.  Gold  has 
been  profitably  mined  for  some  years  on  the  Kak- 
ny  River,  which  empties  into  the  eastern  side  of 
this  extensive  inlet,  and  good  coal  abounds  in  the 
neighborhood. 

When  the  Russians  first  came  to  this  region 
they  taught  the  natives  to  make  what  they  called 
quass,  a  cooling  and  comparatively  harmless  acid 
drink.  To  produce  this  article  rye  meal  is  mixed 
with  water,  in  certain  proportions,  and  allowed  to 
remain  in  a  cask  until  fermentation  takes  place 
and  it  is  sour  and  lively  enough  to  draw.  Lat- 
terly the  natives  have  learned  to  add  sugar,  and 
thus  to  produce  a  fermented  liquor  of  an  intoxica- 


128  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

tinjr  nature.  Profrress  in  this  direction  has  been 
made  until  now  they  mix  a  certain  portion  each 
of  sugar,  floui',  dried  apples,  and  a  few  hops,  when 
they  can  be  obtained,  putting  the  whole  into  a 
close  barrel  or  cask.  When  fermentation  has 
taken  place  and  the  mixture  has  worked  itself 
clear,  it  forms  a  strong  intoxicant.  This  article 
proves  the  cause  of  a  thousand  ills  among  the  abo- 
rigines. In  each  of  the  scattered  villages  among 
the  islands  there  is  sure  to  be  seen  a  few  broken- 
down  victims  of  this  active  poison,  who  have  im- 
poverished their  families  and  wrecked  their  own 
constitutions. 

In  each  of  these  Aleutian  islands  there  is  found 
a  Russian  -  Greek  chapel  and  a  regularly  ap- 
pointed priest,  this  religion  being  preferred  by 
the  natives  to  that  of  all  other  sects,  captivating 
their  simple  minds  by  its  gorgeous  show  and  its 
mystery.  Their  honest  devotion,  however,  to  a 
religion  which  they  cannot  comprehend  may  be 
reasonably  questioned.  There  can  be  no  doubt 
that  their  idolatrous  customs  and  original  panthe- 
ism have  been  almost  entirely  abandoned,  —  cere- 
monies which  were  elaborately  described  by  the 
early  voyagers,  and  which  involved  strange  incan- 
tations and  even  human  sacrifices.  Intercourse 
with  the  whites  has  at  least  had  the  effect  of 
abolishing  the  most  objectionable  features  of  their 
early  superstitions.  The  bishop  of  the  organiza- 
tion is  a  Russian  and  resides  in  San  Francisco, 
whence  he  controls  these  parishes,  which  he  occa- 
sionally visits,  being  amply  supplied   with  pecu- 


NATIVE  PIETY.  129 

niary  means  by  the  home  government  at  St.  Pe- 
tersburg, The  piety  of  these  Aleuts  is  very  pro- 
nounced, so  far  as  all  outward  observances  go,  and 
we  were  told  that  they  never  sit  down  to  their 
meals  without  briefly  asking  a  blessing  upon  their 
rude  repast.  Golovin,  a  Russian  who  lived  many 
years  among  the  Aleuts,  says  :  "  Their  attention 
during  religious  services  is  unflinching,  thougli 
they  do  not  understand  a  Avord  of  the  whole  rite," 
The  same  author  goes  on  to  say,  "  During  my  ten 
years'  stay  in  Unalaska  not  a  single  case  of  mur- 
der happened  among  the  Aleutians.  Not  an  at- 
tempt to  kill,  nor  fight,  nor  even  a  considerable 
dispute,  although  I  often  saw  them  drunk,"  Hunt- 
ing is  the  principal  source  of  their  support,  and  to 
get  the  sea-otter  they  often  make  long,  exposed 
trips  in  their  undecked  boats,  and  experience 
many  trying  hardships.  When  they  return  to 
their  homes  at  the  close  of  the  season,  having  been 
nearly  always  reasonably  successful,  the  quass 
barrel  is  brought  into  requisition,  and  its  contents 
partaken  of  to  excess,  drunken  orgies  following 
with  all  their  attendant  evils. 

The  Aleuts  are  a  very  honest  people,  quite  un- 
like the  Eskimos  of  the  north,  who  are  natural 
pilferers.  They  are  also  possessed  of  a  certain 
stoicism  which  compels  admiration.  When  they 
are  sick  or  suffering  great  pain  they  utter  no  com- 
plaint, and  outwardly  are  always  content,  no  mat- 
ter what  the  future  may  send  as  their  lot.  An 
Aleut  is  never  known  to  sigh,  groan,  or  shed  a 
tear.     If  he  feels  it,  he  never  evinces  immoderate 


130  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

joy,  but  is  alwii^s  quiet,  moderate,  and  grave. 
They  are  in  a  great  degree  fatalists,  and  believe 
that  what  is  deci'eed  by  the  power  in  the  sky 
will  come  to  pass,  whatever  they  may  do  to  pre- 
vent it.     It  is  Kismet. 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  before  these  islands 
were  discovered  b}'  the  Russians,  the  natives  were 
in  the  practice  of  preserving  their  dead  in  the 
form  of  mummies,  and  this  had  probably  been 
their  habit  for  centuries.  Satisfactory  evidence 
is  afforded  by  what  is  found  upon  the  islands  to 
show  that  they  have  been  the  residence  of  popu- 
lous tribes  for  over  two  thousand  years.  Mr. 
Dall,  in  his  indefatigable  researches,  was  able  to 
secure  several  examples  of  the  mummified  dead 
on  these  outlying  islands,  eleven  of  which  came 
from  one  cave  on  the  south  end  of  Unalaska,  but 
none  were  ever  found  or  known  to  have  existed 
upon  the  mainland.  This  fact  is  looked  upon 
by  ethnologists  as  an  important  addition  to  our 
knowledge  of  the  prehistoric  condition  of  these 
peculiar  people  of  the  far  Northwest,  now  part 
and  parcel  of  our  widespread  population.  The 
mumniies  of  Peru  and  those  of  Alaska  are  now 
arranged  side  by  side  in  the  cases  of  the  Smith- 
sonian Institution  at  Washington,  and  what  is 
very  singular  is  that  they  seem,  in  their  general 
appearance,  to  be  almost  identical. 

The  interior  of  Alaska  and  its  more  Arctic 
regions  north  of  the  valley  of  the  Yukon  remain 
still  only  partially  explored.  No  moi'e  is  actually 
known  of  it  than  of  Central  Africa.     It  would  be 


POINT  BARROW.  131 

anything  but  a  pleasure  excursion,  at  present,  to 
penetrate  the  extreme  northern  harbors  of  the  ex- 
tended coast  line,  which  are  mostly  uninhabited, 
and  which  are  tempest-swept  for  a  large  portion 
of  the  year.  Northwestern  Alaska  shares  with 
northeastern  Siberia  the  possession  of  the  coldest 
winter  climate  in  the  world,  but  we  must  remem- 
ber it  is  not  always  winter,  and  thousands  of  Es- 
kimos heie  find  life  quite  tolerable.  Beyond  70° 
of  north  latitude  no  trees  are  to  be  found  ;  even 
shrubs  liave  disappeared,  giving  place  to  a  scanty 
growth  of  lichens  and  creeping  wood-plants.  Even 
here,  however,  Nature  asserts  her  prerogative  and 
brings  forth  a  few  bright  flowers  and  blooming 
grasses  in  the  brief  midsummer  days.  Point 
Barrow  is  what  might  be  termed,  in  common  par- 
lance, "  the  jumping-off  place  ;  "  the  beginning  of 
that  mysterious  ocean  where  the  compass  needle, 
which  lies  horizontal  at  the  equator,  attracted  by 
an  unexplained  influence  dips  and  points  straight 
downward.  There  is  no  lack  of  animal  life  in 
this  frozen  region,  the  sea  is  as  full  as  in  the 
tropics  ;  the  whale  here  finds  its  birthplace,  and 
herring  issue  forth  in  countless  columns  to  seek 
more  southern  seas,  while  the  air  is  darkened  by 
innumerable  flocks  of  sea-fowl.  The  wolves,  the 
polar  bear,  and  other  fur-bearing  animals  afford 
meat  and  clothing  to  the  Eskimo  to  an  extent 
far  exceeding  his  requirements.  Only  thoroughly 
organized  expeditions  and  a  few  adventurous 
whalers  attempt  to  pass  Point  Barrow,  a  long 
reach  of  low  barren  land,  and  the  most  northerly 


132  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

portion  of  the  Territory,  which  projects  itself  into 
the  great  Arctic  Ocean  very  much  after  the  fash- 
ion of  the  North  Cape  of  Norway,  in  the  eastern 
hemisphere,  at  latitude  71°  10'. 

There  is  a  villajje  at  Point  Barrow  containing 
about  a  hundred  and  fifty  people,  living  in  houses 
partly  under  ground  as  a  protection  against  the 
cold.  The  roofs  are  supported  by  rafters  of  whale 
jaws  and  ribs.  This  people  we  call  the  Eskimo 
proper.  They  have  a  severe  climate  to  contend 
with,  but  are  abundantly  supplied  with  food  and 
oil  from  the  sea.  They  have  a  strange  aversion 
to  salt,  and  any  food  thus  cooked  or  preserved 
they  will  not  eat  unless  driven  to  it  by  dire  neces- 
sity. Our  government  is  just  about  to  erect  a 
comfortable  structure  here  as  a  sort  of  refuge  to 
shipwrecked  navigators  of  the  Polar  Sea,  this 
being  the  verge  of  those  unknown  waters  which 
guard  the  secret  of  the  Pole. 

A  peninsula  makes  out  from  near  the  centre 
of  the  western  coast  of  Alaska,  the  terminus  of 
wliich  is  the  nearest  point  between  this  continent 
and  Asia,  the  two  being  separated  by  Behring 
Strait,  where  the  East  and  the  West  confront 
each  other,  and  where  the  extreme  western  bound- 
ary of  our  country  is  the  line  which  separates  Asia 
from  America.  This  is  called  Cape  Prince  of 
Wales,  a  rocky  point  rising  in  its  highest  peak 
to  twenty-five  hundred  feet  above  the  sea.  Here 
is  a  village  of  Eskimos  numbering  between  three 
and  four  hundred  souls,  who  do  not  bear  a  good 
reputation.     They  are  skilled  as  fishermen  on  the 


CA  VE-D  WELLERS.  133 

sea  and  hunters  on  the  land,  to  which  it  niav  be 
added  that  they  are  professional  smugglers.  Here 
it  is  quite  possible  in  clear  weather  to  see  tlie 
Asiatic  coast — Eastern  Siberia  —  from  United 
States  soil,  the  distance  across  the  strait  being 
about  forty  miles.  There  are  two  islands  in  the 
strait,  known  as  the  Dioniedes,  almost  in  a  direct 
line  between  Cape  Prince  of  Wales  on  one  side 
and  East  Cape  on  the  other;  stepping-stones,  as  it 
were,  between  the  two  continents.  Occasional  in- 
tercourse between  the  natives  of  the  two  opposite 
shores  is  maintained  to-day  by  means  of  sailing 
craft,  and  doubtless  has  been  going  on  for  hun- 
dreds, if  not  for  thousands,  of  years.  So  moderate 
are  the  seas,  and  so  calm  the  weather  hereabouts 
at  some  portions  of  the  year,  that  the  passage  is 
made  in  open  or  undecked  boats. 

On  King's  Island,  fifty  miles  south  of  Cape 
Prince  of  Wales,  there  is  a  tribe  of  veritable  cave- 
dwellers.  The  island  is  a  great  mass  of  rock, 
with  almost  perpendicular  sides  rising  seven  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  sea.  On  one  side,  where  the 
angle  is  nearly  forty-five  degrees,  the  Eskimos 
have  excavated  homes  in  the  rock,  about  half  a 
hundred  of  which  are  two  hundred  feet  above  the 
sea.  These  people  openly  defy  the  revenue  laws, 
and  are  the  known  distributers  of  contraband  arti- 
cles, especially  of  intoxicants. 

Behring  Sea,  where  it  washes  the  shores  of 
Alaska,  from  Norton  Sound  to  Bristol  Ba}^  is 
slowly  growing  more  shallow,  having  but  fifteen 
fathoms  depth,  in  some  places,  forty  miles  off  the 


134  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

west  shore  of  the  tnainhmd,  and  growing  shal- 
lower as  it  approaches  the  continent.  This  has 
caused  a  speculative  writer  to  suggest  the  possible 
joining  of  Asia  and  America,  at  some  future 
period,  by  the  gradual  filling  up  of  Behring  Sea. 
The  reason  of  this  is  obvious.  The  Yukon  River 
brings  down  from  its  course  of  two  thousand  miles 
and  more  many  hundred  tons  of  soil  daily  which 
it  deposits  along  the  coast,  while  the  Kuskoquin 
River,  second  only  to  the  Yukon  in  volume,  is  en- 
gaged in  the  same  work  about  a  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  south  of  where  the  greater  river  empties  into 
Norton  Sound.  These  large  water-ways  carry, 
like  the  Mississippi,  immense  deposits  to  the  sea, 
and  the  process  has  been  going  on  night  and  day 
for  no  human  being  knows  how  long. 

One  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  the  mouth 
of  this  Kuskoquin  River  the  Moravians  of  Beth- 
lehem, Pa.,  support  a  missionary  establishment. 
The  station  is  named  Bethel,  one  of  the  most  iso- 
lated points  in  Alaska,  receiving  a  mail  but  once 
a  year  !  Truly,  nothing  save  fulfilling  a  conscien- 
tious sense  of  duty  could  compensate  intelligent 
people  for  thus  separating  themselves  from  home 
and  friends. 

We  have  spoken  of  a  peninsula  making  out  at 
the  north  towards  Asia,  but  this  comparatively 
insignificant  projection  from  the  mainland  should 
not  be  permitted  to  confuse  the  reader's  mind  as 
regards  the  Alaska  Peninsula,  properly  so  called, 
•which  extends  from  the  southern  part  of  the  Ter- 
ritory, ending  in  the  islands  which  form  the  Aleu- 


VOLCANOES.  135 

tian  group.  This  peninsula  is  undoubtedly  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  in  the  world,  being  fifty 
miles  broad  and  three  hundred  long,  literally  piled 
with  mountains,  some  of  which  are  but  partially 
extinct  volcanoes,  emitting  at  the  present  time 
more  or  less  smoke  and  ashes,  sometimes  accom- 
panied by  blazing  gases  discernible  at  night  far 
away  over  land  and  sea,  appearing  to  the  mid- 
night watch  on  board  ship  like  a  raging  confla- 
gration in  the  heavens.  The  principal  islands  of 
the  group  of  which  we  have  been  speaking,  and 
which  stretch  far  away  from  the  southwestern 
corner  of  the  Alaska  Peninsula  towards  Kam- 
schatka,  as  though  extending  a  cordial  hand  from 
the  Occident  to  the  Orient,  are  as  follows  :  Uni- 
mak,  with  a  volcanic  peak  nine  thousand  feet 
high  ;  Unalaska,  whose  peak  is  five  thousand 
seven  hundred  feet  high  ;  Atka,  with  a  height  of 
four  thousand  eight  hundred  feet ;  Kyska,  which 
is  crowned  by  an  elevation  of  three  thousand  seven 
hundred  feet ;  and  Attoo,  whose  tallest  peak  is 
over  three  thousand  feet.  This  island  is  just  about 
four  hundred  miles  from  the  Asiatic  coast.  Uni- 
mak  has  a  large  lake  of  sulphur  within  its  borders, 
and  all  of  these  islands  have  more  or  less  hot 
springs.  From  those  in  Unalaska  loud  reports 
issue  at  intervals,  like  the  boom  of  cannon,  recall- 
ing our  late  similar  experience  in  the  Yellowstone 
Park. 

Alaska  constitutes  the  northwestern  portion  of 
the  American  continent,  and  has  a  coast  hne  ex- 
ceeding  eleven   thousand    miles.      The   extreme 


136  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

length  of  the  Territory,  north  and  south,  is  eleven 
hundred  miles,  and  its  breadth  is  eight  hundred. 
It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Arctic  Ocean, 
on  the  east  by  British  Columbia,  on  the  south  by 
the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  on  the  west  by  Behring 
Strait  and  the  North  Pacific.  Our  geographies 
and  encyclopredias  help  us  to  little  more  than  the 
boundaries  of  this  great  Territory,  -which  contains 
nearly  six  hundred  thousand  square  miles.  The 
latest  published  estimates  give  the  aggregate 
number  of  square  miles  as  nineteen  thousand  less 
than  the  amount  we  have  named,  but  Governor 
Swineford  and  other  residents  of  the  Territory 
believe  it  to  be  an  underestimate.  As  there  is 
no  actual  survey  extant,  the  figures  given  can  only 
be  a  reasonable  approximation  to  the  true  num- 
ber. The  boundary  dividing  Alaska  and  British 
Columbia  was  settled  by  treaty  between  England 
and  Russia  in  1825,  and  the  same  line  is  recog- 
nized to-day  as  separating  our  possessions  in  this 
quarter  from  those  of  Great  Britain.  Alaska  is 
as  large  as  all  of  the  New  England  and  Middle 
States,  with  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Wisconsin, 
Michigan,  Kentucky,  and  Tennessee  combined. 
So  far  as  size  is  concerned,  the  Territory  is,  there- 
fore, an  empire  in  itself,  being  equal  in  area  to 
seventy-one  States  like  Massachusetts,  and  con- 
taining as  many  square  miles  as  England,  Ireland, 
Scotland,  Wales,  France,  Spain,  Portugal,  Switzer- 
land, and  Belgium  united.  It  has  been  estimated 
by  competent  judges  that,  with  its  islands,  it  has 
a  coast    line    equal    to    the    circumference  of  the 


A    TERRA    IXCOGSITA.  137 

globe.  Very  few  of  our  people,  even  among  the 
educated  class,  have  an  adequate  idea  of  the  im- 
mensity of  this  northwestern  Territory,  two  thirds 
of  which  abounds  in  available  resources,  only 
awaiting  development.  Were  Alaska  situated  (in 
our  Atlantic  coast  it  would  extend  from  Maine  to 
Florida. 

Miss  Kate  Field,  in  a  comprehensive  article 
already  quoted  from,  published  in  the  "  North 
American  Review,"  justly  censuring  Congress  for 
its  supineness  and  ignorance  in  relation  to  Alaska, 
says :  "  American  citizens,  living  comfortabl}'  on 
the  Atlantic  seaboard,  knowing  their  own  wants 
and  dictating  terms  to  their  submissive  representa- 
tives, take  little  heed  of  those  new  additions  to 
the  United  States  which  are  destined  to  be  tliH 
crowning  glory  of  the  Republic.  When  a  nation 
is  so  big  as  to  render  portions  of  it  a  terra  incog- 
nita to  those  who  make  the  laws,  there's  some- 
thing rotten  this  side  of  Denmark !  .  .  .  The 
march  of  empire  goes  on  in  spite  of  human  falli- 
bility, and  now  the  land  of  the  midnight  sun 
knocks  at  the  door  of  Congress.  She  is  twenty- 
three  years  old,  and  asks  to  be  treated  as  though 
she  were  of  age.  The  big-wigs  at  Washington 
rub  their  eyes,  put  on  their  spectacles,  and  wonder 
what  this  Hyperborean  hubbub  means?" 

In  examining  the  geograpliical  characteristics  of 
Alaska,  we  observe  a  peculiarity  in  its  outlying 
islands  which  is  also  found  in  the  construction  of 
the  continents.  Thej'  all  have  east  of  their  south- 
ern   points   series   of    islands.     Thus,  Alaska  has 


138  THE  NEW  ELDOliADO. 

the  Sitkan  or  Alexander  group;  Africa  has  Mada- 
gascar ;  Asia  has  Ceylon;  Australia  has  the  two 
large  islands  of  New  Zealand;  and  America  has 
the  Falkland  Islands.  Alaska  is  the  great  island 
region  of  the  United  States. 

It  is  not  for  us  to  enter  into  the  brief  history  of 
the  country,  that  is,  brief  as  known  to  us,  but  it 
is  well  to  fix  in  the  mind  the  fact  that  Russia's 
title  was  derived  from  prior  discovery.  Behring 
first  saw  the  continent  in  this  region  of  North 
America,  July  18,  1741,  in  latitude  58°  28',  and 
two  days  later  anchored  in  a  bay  near  a  point 
which  he  called  St.  Elias,  a  name  which  he  also 
gave  to  the  great  mountain  overshadowing  the 
neighboring  shore.  It  is  sufficient  for  our  pur- 
pose that  we  know  this  Territory  was  purchased 
from  Russia  by  our  government  in  1867,  after 
that  country  had  occupied  it  a  little  more  than  a 
century,  paying  therefor  the  sum  of  seven  million 
two  hundred  thousand  dollars.  It  has  been  truly 
said  that  it  was  practically  giving  away  the  coun- 
try on  the  part  of  Russia  ;  but  doubtless  diplomatic 
reasons  influenced  the  Tzar,  who  would  much 
rather  have  presented  it  outright  to  the  United 
States  than  to  have  it,  by  conquest  or  otherwise, 
fall  into  the  hands  of  England,  who  was  known 
to  crave  its  possession  as  connected  with  her 
Pacific  coast  interests.  So  when  the  first  Napoleon 
sold  us  Louisana,  he  did  so  not  alone  in  considera- 
tion of  the  money,  which  was  doubtless  much 
needed  by  his  treasury,  —  amounting  to  sixty  mil- 
lion  francs,  —  but   because    he   was   not  willing 


A  BONANZA.  139 

to  leave  this  distant  territory  a  prey  to  Great 
Britain  in  the  event  of  hostilities  between  France 
and  England,  which  were  then  imminent.  He 
was  glad,  as  he  remarked,  "  to  establish  forever 
tlie  power  of  the  United  States,  and  give  to  Eng- 
land a  maritime  rival  destined  to  humble  her 
pride;"  adding,  "It  is  for  the  interest  of  France 
that  America  should  be  great  and  strong." 

Alaska  was  a  white  elephant  to  Russia,  but  in 
our  hands  it  has  already  proved  a  bonanza. 

Any  one  can  now  see  that  the  sum  named  as  an 
equivalent  for  this  colossal  territory  was  a  trifling 
value  to  place  upon  it,  when  its  great  extent  is 
realized,  together  with  its  vast  mineral  wealth  and 
inexhaustible  supply  of  fish,  fur,  and  timber.  It 
is  in  fact  the  only  great  game  and  fur  preserve  left 
in  the  Western  world,  inviting  the  trapper  and 
hunter  to  reap  a  rich  return  for  their  industry. 
Nowhere  else  on  this  continent  do  wild  animals 
more  abound,  or  enjoy  such  immunity  from  harm, 
as  is  afforded  them  in  the  dense,  half-impenetrable 
forests  of  Alaska,  where  Nature  herself  becomes 
our  gamekeeper,  preventing  the  too  rapid  extinc- 
tion of  animal  life. 

From  a  lease  in  favor  of  the  Alaska  Commercial 
Company  of  San  Francisco,  giving  them  the  ex- 
clusive right  to  take  seals  on  the  Prybiloff  group 
of  islands,  our  government  has  received  four  and 
one  half  per  cent,  interest,  annually,  during  the 
last  nineteen  years,  on  the  entire  purchase-money 
paid  to  Russia.  This  same  company,  whose  term 
is  just  about  to  expire,  would  gladly  renew  the 


140  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

lease  with  our  government  at  a  considerable  ad- 
vance upon  the  amount  heretofore  paid;  but  it  is 
an  open  question  whether  the  continuance  of  this 
great  monopoly  is  for  the  best  interest  of  Alaska, 
when  considered  in  all  its  bearings. 

Undoubtedly  this  contract  is  a  real  benefit  in 
one  way.  The  company,  through  its  agents,  will 
take  good  care  to  see  that  no  outside  interest  in- 
terfeies  with  their  rights  so  as  to  permit  any  indis- 
criminate slaughter  of  the  seals.  Whereas,  were 
the  capture  of  these  peltries  not  guarded,  an  end 
of  the  product  would  be  brought  about  in  a  very 
short  time.  There  is  a  manifest  injustice  in  all 
monopolies,  iis  we  view  them  ;  but  of  two  evils,  in 
this  instance  we  should  perhaps  feel  inclined  to 
choose  the  least  by  selling  the  privilege  to  a  re- 
sponsible company.  It  must  be  admitted  that  the 
high-hnnded  course  of  the  present  company,  their 
arbitrary  assumptions,  and  their  treatment  of  the 
natives  generally,  are  represented  in  a  very  bad 
light  by  many  residents  of  Alaska  ;  but  little  else, 
however,  could  be  expected  of  so  great  a  monop- 
oly. One  thing  is  certain,  and  that  is,  the  com- 
pany has  realized  a  great  fortune  by  its  contract. 

There  were  plenty  of  people  who  ridiculed  the 
acquisition  of  this  Territory  at  the  time  when  it 
was  brought  about ;  but  there  were  also  some  far- 
seeing  statesmen,  influenced  by  no  selfish  motives, 
who  felt  very  different  about  the  matter,  among 
whom  was  Mr.  Seward,  then  Secretary  of  State, 
and  to  whom  the  credit  is  mostly  due  for  con- 
summating  the  important   purchase.     That  able 


SEWARD'S   CROWNING   GLORY  141 

diplomat  considered  the  transaction  to  have  been 
the  most  important  act  of  his  official  career,  and 
pnt  himself  on  record  to  that  effect.  He  remarked, 
in  discussing  the  matter  at  a  public  meeting,  "  It 
ma}'  take  two  generations  before  the  purchase  is 
properly  appreciated."  Mr.  Seward  was  right.  It 
was  a  crowning  glory  for  him  to  have  added  a 
new  empire  to  his  country's  domain,  though  in 
1867  its  great  commercial  importance  was  hardly 
known,  even  to  himself.  Its  valuable  gold  depos- 
its were  then  thought  possibly  to  exist ;  but  sub- 
sequent developments  have  ah-eady  far  outstripped 
anticipations  in  that  direction,  and  the  large  yield 
of  the  precious  metal  is  annually  increasing. 

"  I  thought  when  Alaska  was  purchased,  in 
1867,"  says  that  keen  observer  and  clever  writer, 
Caj>tain  John  Codman,  "  that  it  might  answer  for 
a  great  skating  park;  but  now  I  know,  from 
merely  coasting  along  its  southeastern  shores  and 
landing  at  a  few  of  its  outposts,  that  the  seven 
million  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  paid  for  it 
is  less  than  the  interest  of  the  sura  that  it  is  worth. 
A  great  part  of  it  is  yet  unexplored,  for  its  whole 
area  is  three  times  greater  than  the  republic  of 
France;  but  what  has  been  discovered  is  invalua- 
ble, and  what  has  not  been  discovered  may  be 
valuable  beyond  calculation." 

So  little  did  we,  as  a  people,  appreciate  the  new 
acquisition  that  it  was  almost  entirely  neglected 
for  seventeen  years.  Not  until  1884  was  it 
granted  a  territorial  government,  Hon.  John  H. 
Kinkead,  ex-governor  of  Nevada,  being  the  first 


142  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

governor  appointed  for  Alaska.  "  Twenty  years 
ago,"  says  Governor  Swineford  of  Alaska,  "  I  made 
political  capital  out  of  Seward's  purchase.  I  called 
it  the  refrigerator  of  the  United  States.  I  heaped 
obloquy  on  William  H.  Seward.  I  shall  spend 
the  rest  of  my  life  in  making  reparation  to  what  I 
have  so  foully  wronged."  Such  has  been  the 
general  testimony  of  all  who  speak  from  personal 
observation,  and  uninfluenced  by  sinister  motives. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Territorial  Acquisitions.  —  Population  of  Alaska.  —  Steady  Com- 
mercial Growth.  —  Primeval  Forests.  —  The  Country  teems 
with  Animal  Life.  —  A  Mighty  Reserve  of  Codfi.-h.  —  Native 
Food.  —  Fur-Bearing  Animals. — Islands  of  St.  George  and 
St.  Paul.  —  Interesting  Habits  of  the  Fur-Seal.  —  The  Breed- 
ing Season.  —  Their  Natural  Food.  —  Mammoth  Size  of  tlie 
Bull  Seals. 

The  subject  of  the  addition  of  Alaska  to  the 
United  States  suggests  the  fact  that  our  territo- 
rial acquisitions  from  time  to  time  form  certain 
decided  and  interesting  landmarks  in  the  history 
of  the  country.  Thus,  in  1803  Ave  acquired  Lou- 
isiana from  France  by  the  payment  of  fifteen  mil- 
lion dollars.  In  1845  Texas  was  annexed  and 
her  debt  assumed,  amounting  to  the  sum  of  seven 
million  five  hundred  thousand  dollars.  In  1848 
California,  New  Mexico,  and  Utah  were  acquired 
from  Mexico,  partly  through  war,  and  by  the 
pajnnent  of  fifteen  million  dollars.  In  1854  Ai'i- 
zona  was  purchased  from  Mexico  for  ten  million 
dollars.  And  last,  but  hj  no  means  least,  Alaska, 
as  has  been  stated,  was  obtained  from  Russia  in 
1867  for  seven  million  two  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars. "By  this  purchase,"  said  Charles  Sumner 
in  his  able  speech  before  Congress,  "we  dismiss 
one  more  monarch  from  this  continent.  One  by 
one  they  have  retired  ;  first  France ;  then  Spain  ; 


144  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

then  France  again  ;  and  now  Russia;  all  give  way 
to  the  absorbing  Unity  which  is  declared  in  the 
national  motto,  E  Plurihus  U7ium" 

At  the  time  of  the  transfer  of  Alaska,  the  native 
population,  Russians,  half-breeds  and  all,  did  not 
piobably  exceed  forty  thousand  ;  indeed,  careful 
inquiry  seems  to  indicate  that  tiiis  is  an  overesti- 
mate. Since  that  period  the  native  population 
has  steadily  decreased,  but  the  white  population 
has  increased,  it  is  believed,  sufficiently  to  make 
good  the  estimated  aggregate  of  twenty-two  years 
ago.  In  1867  the  commerce  of  Alaska  was  offi- 
cially  reported  as  being  two  million  five  hundred 
thousand  dollars  for  the  current  year.  The  pub- 
lished estimate  for  the  last  year  made  it  a  fraction 
less  than  seven  million  dollars,  of  which  about  a 
million  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  was  in  gold 
bullion.  Certainly  this  shows  a  very  steady  if 
not  rapid  commercial  growth.  Competent  indi- 
viduals estimate  that  the  commerce  of  the  Terri- 
tory for  the  year  1889  will  reach  ten  million  dol- 
lars in  amount.  The  increase  in  the  number  of 
fish-canning  establishments  alone  will  add  two 
millions  to  last  year's  aggregate.  The  shipment 
of  preserved  salmon  exported  in  tins  and  barrels 
is  increasing  annually. 

The  available  timber  now  standing  in  the  Ter- 
ritory might  alone  meet  the  ordinary  demand  of 
this  continent  for  half  a  century.  Though  the 
extreme  northern  part  of  Alaska  is  treeless,  its 
southern  shores,  both  of  the  islands  and  mainland, 
are  covered  with  a  dense  forest  growth,  the  Aleu- 


FORESTS.  145 

tian  group  excepted.  It  is  the  visible  wealth  of 
the  country,  and  a  source  of  admiration  to  all  ap- 
preciative visitors. 

Fort  Tongas  is  very  near  the  southeast  point  of 
Alaska,  and  about  ten  miles  north  of  Fort  Simp- 
son ;  the  former  American,  the  latter  English 
territory.  When  the  ground  was  cleared  to  estab- 
lish the  American  fort,  "  yellow  (;edar-trees,"  says 
W.  H.  Dall,  "  eight  feet  in  diameter  were  cut 
down.  The  flanks  of  all  the  islands  of  this  archi- 
pelago bear  a  magnificent  growth  of  the  finest 
timber,  from  the  water's  edge  to  fifteen  hundred 
feet  above  the  sea."  It  must  be  a  cedar  of  mag- 
nificent proportions  out  of  which  the  natives  can 
hew  and  construct  a  canoe  seventy  feet  long  capa- 
ble of  carrying  one  hundred  men.  This  the  Haidas 
do,  producing  models  both  swift  and  seaworthy, 
the  prows  extending  in  a  peak  not  unlike  the 
ancient  galleys  of  Greece,  decorated  with  totemic 
designs.  These  magnificent  forests,  having  never 
felt  the  stroke  of  the  axe,  present  a  growth  natu- 
rally very  dense  and  peculiar,  the  branches  of  the 
tall  trees  being  often  draped  with  long  black  and 
white  moss,  dry  and  fine  as  hair,  which  it  resem- 
bles. This  characteristic  recalled  the  same  effect 
observed  upon  the  thickly  wooded  shores  of  the 
St.  John  River  in  Florida,  and  the  Lake  Pontchar- 
train  district  of  Louisiana.  The  fallen  trees  and 
.stumps  are  cushioned  by  a  growth  of  green,  vel- 
vety moss,  nearly  ten  inches  in  thickness,  and  are 
also  decked  with  creeping  vines  in  the  most  pic- 
turesque  manner ;  among  which  is  seen  here  and 


146  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

there  deep  red  clusters  of  the  bunch-berry.  The 
timber  is  pronounced  by  good  judges  to  be  as  val- 
uable as  that  of  Oregon  and  Washington,  com- 
pared with  which  our  forests  in  Maine  are  hardly 
more  than  tall  undergrowth.  A  very  large  per- 
centage of  the  Alaska  timber  grows  at  the  most 
convenient  points  for  shipment,  making  it  espe- 
cially available.  The  white  spruce,  called  the 
Sitka  pine,  rises  to  a  height  of  from  a  hundred 
and  fifty  to  a  hundred  and  eighty  feet,  and  meas- 
ures from  three  to  six  feet  in  diameter.  When 
this  growth  is  cut  into  dimension  lumber  it  very 
much  resembles  our  southern  pitch-pine.  There 
is  also  found  in  these  forests  the  usual  variety  of 
cedar,  fir,  ash,  maple,  and  birch  trees,  mingled  with 
the  others  of  loftier  growth.  The  yellow  cedar  of 
this  region  grows  nowhere  else  of  such  size  and 
quality.  It  is  much  prized,  and  best  ad;i|)ted  for 
shipbuilding,  having  been  found  to  be  unequaled 
for  duiability,  and  also  because  it  is  impervious 
to  the  troublesome  teredo,  or  boring  worm,  which 
destroys  the  ordinary  piles  under  the  wharves  at 
Puget  Sound,  as  well  as  at  Sitka,  so  rapidly  as  to 
render  it  necessary  to  renew  them  every  three  or 
four  years.  Southern  latitudes,  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  suffer  equally  from 
the  depredations  of  this  active  marine  pest.  The 
Alaska  cedar  is  also  a  choice  cabinet  wood,  pos- 
sessing a  very  agreeable  odpr,  considerable  quanti- 
ties of  it  being  shipped  for  select  use  in  San  Fran- 
cisco and  els(i where.  The  coast  of  the  Alexan- 
der Archipelago  comprises  nearly  eight  thousand 


AN  INEXHAUSTIBLE  LUMBER  SUPPLY.      147 

miles  of  shore  line,  forming  long  straight  avenues 
of  calm  deep  water  many  miles  in  lengtli,  sprin- 
kled with  islands  densely  wooded  from  the  water's 
edge,  while  the  number  of  good  harbors  is  almost 
countless,  in  which  vessels  may  lay  alongside  the 
land  and  i-eceive  their  cargoes  of  timber  or  lumber 
in  the  most  convenient  manner. 

When  the  woods  of  Maine  and  Michigan  cease 
to  yield  satisfactorily,  as  they  must  do  by  and  by, 
we  have  here  a  ready  source  of  suppl}"^  which  no 
ordinary  demand  can  exhaust  in  many  years.  One 
enthusiastic  writer  upon  this  subject  predicts  that 
this  part  of  the  North  Pacific  coast  will  eventually 
become  the  ship-yard  of  the  American  continent. 
One  is  hardly  prepared  to  indorse  so  sweeping  a 
prediction,  but  that  there  is  a  Jiearly  inexhausti- 
ble supply  of  the  necessary  timber  for  such  a  pur- 
pose even  an  inexperienced  visitor  cannot  fail  to 
realize.  It  is  gratifying  to  know  that  these  forests 
are  free  from  all  danger  by  fire,  which  often 
proves  so  destructive  in  the  State  of  Washington 
and  elsewhere.  This  immunity  from  a  much 
dreaded  exigency  is  owing  to  the  frequent  rains, 
which  keep  the  undergrowth  in  Alaska  so  moist 
that  the  flames  cannot  spread. 

Speaking  of  Fort  Tongas,  we  should  not  forget 
to  mention  that  a  native  couple,  educated  by  the 
missionaries,  are  here  teaching  a  school  of  young 
natives  numbering  fifty  pupils,  for  which  our  gov- 
ernment pays  them  five  hundred  dollars  per  an- 
num. The  success  attained  by  these  instructors 
in  teaching  the  ordinaiy  branches  of  an  English 


148  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

education  is  surprising.  Tongas,  it  will  be  remem- 
bered, is  the  most  southerly  point  of  our  Alaska 
possessions. 

The  country  teems  with  animal  life.  The  sea 
which  laves  it?^  shores  and  the  outlying  islands  is 
so  full  of  excellent  fish  as  to  have  been  a  wonder 
in  this  respect  since  the  days  of  the  earliest  navi- 
gators. The  same  may  be  said  of  its  rivers,  inlets, 
and  lakes,  the  former  being  famous  for  the  abun- 
dance, size,  and  excellence  of  the  salmon  which 
they  produce,  and  which  are  annually  packed  for 
exportation  in  such  large  quantities  to  various 
parts  of  the  world.  We  were  told  by  the  over- 
seer of  the  canning  factory  at  Pyramid  Harbor 
that  the  entire  product  of  the  establishment  was 
already  —  the  season  but  just  commencing  —  en- 
gaged by  a  Liverpool  house.  To  secure  the  deliv- 
ery the  foreign  merchant  had  cheerfully  advanced 
five  hundred  jiounds  sterling. 

"The  Alaska  banks  would  be  an  ocean  paradise 
to  the  Newfoundland  fishermen,"  says  Professor 
Davidson.  "  The  eastern  part  of  Behring  Sea  'is 
a  mighty  reserve  of  cod,'  and  the  area  within  the 
limits  of  fifty  fathoms  of  water  is  no  less  than 
eighteen  thousand  miles."  "  What  I  have  seen," 
said  W.  H.  Seward  at  Sitka,  in  18G9,  "has  almost 
made  me  a  convert  to  the  theory  of  some  natural- 
ists, that  the  waters  of  the  globe  are  filled  with 
stores  for  the  sustenance  of  animal  life  surpassing 
the  available  productions  of  the  land."  The  coast 
also  abounds  in  oysters,  clams,  mussels,  and  crabs. 
The  oysters  are  small,  but  of  excellent  flavor,  and 


FUR-BEARING  ANIMALS.  149 

might  be  greatly  improved  by  cultivation.  Clams 
and  mussels  are  much  esteemed  by  the  aborigines, 
the  first-named  being  large  and  of  prime  quality. 
They  dry  the  clams,  as  they  do  salmon  and  cod, 
using  no  salt  in  the  process,  but  stringing  them 
by  the  score  on  long  blades  of  strong  grass,  and 
in  this  shape  laying  them  away  for  winter  use. 
There  is  certainly  some  special  preservative  qual- 
ity in  the  atmosphere  here  which  enables  the 
natives  to  keep  clams  unfrozen  in  good  condition 
for  several  months.  The  matter  of  "  ripeness," 
however,  makes  no  difference  to  these  Indians, 
who  seem  actually  to  prefer  their  fish  a  little 
putrid,  and  oil  is  purposely  kept  until  it  becomes 
so  before  they  will  use  it. 

The  hills  and  valleys  of  the  islands  and  the 
mainland  support  more  fur-bearing  animals  than 
can  be  found  on  any  other  part  of  this  continent, 
and  we  certainly  believe  of  any  other  part  of  the 
world.  The  great  variety  includes  bears  of  several 
species,  wolves,  beavers,  deer,  foxes,  caribou,  mar- 
tens, mountain  goats,  moose,  musk-oxen,  and 
others.  Herds  of  walruses  are  found  on  the  far 
north  coast,  as  well  as  in  Behring  Sea,  which 
yield  food  to  the  natives,  and  the  best  of  ivory 
for  sale  to  the  traders.  It  is  a  curious  fact  that  no 
reptile,  toad,  lizard,  or  similar  animal  is  to  be 
found  in  Alaskan  territory.  The  waters  of  the 
North  Pacific,  from  the  most  westerly  of  the  Aleu- 
tian Islands  up  to  Behring  Strait,  swarm  with 
cod,  haddock,  sturgeon,  large  flounders,  and  hali- 
but, while  our  hardy  whalemen  successfully  pursue 


loO  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

their  mammoth  game  both  north  and  south  of  the 
strait.  When  the  country  was  first  discovered, 
thei*e  was  another  important  animal  found  here 
in  con.siderahle"  numbers,  known  as  the  sea-cow, 
which  furnished  Vancouver  and  his  crew  with 
wholesome  and  palatable  meat,  and  which  had 
formed  a  source  of  food  supply  for  the  aborigines 
probably  for  centuries.  But  this  large,  amphib- 
ious animal,  thirty  feet  long  and  seal-like  in  shape, 
has  now  entirely  disappeared.  This  was  owing  to 
merciless  slaughter  by  the  Russians,  who  found 
the  sea-i  ovv  an  easy  prey  to  capture,  because  of 
its  inactivity  and  clumsiness  in  the  water,  besides 
which,  the  creature  is  said  to  have  been  utterly 
fearless  of  man,  making  no  effort  to  escape  when 
attacked.  They  are  represented  to  have  been 
fierce  when  attacked  by  the  wolves,  and  to  have 
been  fully  able  to  defend  themselves. 

Two  islands  lying  to  the  north  of  the  Aleutian 
group  form  a  favorite  resort  of  the  fur-seal,  which 
so  abounds  in  this  region  that  nearly  a  century 
of  active  war  waged  upon  them  by  the  hunters, 
for  the  sake  of  their  valuable  skins,  has  produced 
no  perceptible  diminution  in  their  numbers, 
riiis  is  partly  owing,  however,  to  the  fact  that  of 
Lite  years  the  killing  has  been  restricted  as  to  the 
aggregate  annual  number,  and  also  as  to  the  sex 
and  age  of  the  seals.  The  pelts  sent  from  Alaska 
have  not  fallen  short  of  a  hundred  thousand  annu- 
ally for  the  last  twenty  years,  and  it  is  believed 
by  those  who  should  be  able  to  judge  correctly 
that  this  number  has  been  very  much  exceeded. 


THE  SEAL  ISLANDS.  151 

There  is  hardly  an  uninterested  person  in  the 
Territory  who  will  not  express  this  opinion. 

The  two  islands  referred  to  in  Behring  Sea, 
namely,  St.  Paul  and  St.  George,  together  with 
two  smaller  and  unimportant  ones  named  respec- 
tively Otter  Island,  which  is  situated  six  miles 
south  of  St.  Paul,  and  Walrus  Island,  about  the 
same  distance  to  the  eastward,  are  known  as  the 
Prybiloff  group.  St.  Paul  is  thirteen  miles  long 
by  four  broad ;  St.  George  is  ten  miles  long  and 
between  four  and  five  broad.  Neither  of  them 
have  any  harbor  in  which  vessels  can  safely  lie, 
but  they  anchor  half  a  mile  or  more  off  shore,  and 
freight  is  taken  or  delivered  by  means  of  light- 
ers. So  violent  is  the  surf  at  times  on  these 
islands  in  mid-ocean  that  if  the  wind  is  unfavor- 
able no  attempt  at  landing  is  made.  Otter  Isl- 
and is  peculiar  in  being  nothing  more  nor  less 
than  an  extinct  volcano,  with  a  still  gaping,  threat- 
ening crater,  and  an  elevation  of  three  hundred 
feet  above  the  surrounding  sea.  Its  only  occu- 
pants consist  of  water-fowl  and  blue  foxes,  both 
as  plentiful  as  peas  in  a  pod.  The  animals  were 
introduced  long  ago  for  breeding  purposes,  and 
have  greatly  increased.  These  are  the  "  seal 
islands "  so  often  spoken  of,  and  which  furnish 
four  fifths  of  all  the  sealskins  used  in  the  markets 
of  the  world.  This  sounds  like  an  extravagant 
estimate,  but  it  is  believed  to  be  quite  correct. 

The  islands  are  of  volcanic  origin,  having  been 
thrown  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea  in  compara- 
tively modern  times.    When  one  speaks  of  geolog- 


i:>2  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

ical  fdcts,  one  or  two  tlionsand  years  are  considered 
very  brief  periods.  At  the  time  of  their  discovery, 
St.  George  and  St.  Paul  were  uninhabited,  but 
native  Aleuts,  the  nearest  of  wliom  lived  about  two 
hundred  miles  south  of  these  islands,  were  brought 
hither  and  domesticated,  to  work  for  the  Russian 
Fur  Company.  Since  the  transfer  to  our  govern- 
ment these  people  have  worked  uninterruptedly 
for  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company,  which  lias, 
in  addition  to  the  headquarters  of  the  seal-fishery, 
some  forty  trading  stations  in  the  Territory. 

We  speak  of  the  "  seal-fisheries,"  but  there  is 
in  reality  no  fishing  about  the  business.  The 
seals  are  all  taken  on  land.  The  employees  of 
the  company  get  between  the  seals  and  the  water 
and  drive  suc-h  as  are  selected  inland  like  a  flock 
of  sheep.  They  move  slowly,  pulling  themselves 
along  by  their  fore  flippers,  as  a  dog  might  do 
with  his  hind  legs  broken,  but  they  get  over  the 
ground  at  the  rate  of  one  or  two  miles  in  the  hour, 
and  are  driven  the  latter  distance  to  the  warehouse 
before  the  killing  takes  place. 

It  is  cuiious  that  these  two  islands  onlj^  with 
a  few  small  spots  in  the  North  Pacific,  should  pos- 
sess the  peculiar  conditions  of  landing-ground  and 
climate  combined  which  are  necessary  for  the  per- 
fect life  and  leproduction  of  the  fur-seal.  H.  W. 
Elliott,  who  acted  as  United  States  government 
agent  for  four  seasons  at  the  seal  islands,  and  who 
is  good  authority  upon  this  special  subject,  says : 
"  With  tlie  exception  of  these  seal  islands  of 
Behring   Sea,    there  are  none   elsewhere   in   the 


OTHER  SOURCES  OF  SUPPLY.  153 

world  of  the  slightest  importance  to-day.  When, 
therefore,  we  note  tlie  eiigeiness  with  which  ouv 
civilization  calls  for  sealskin  fur,  in  s]3ite  of  fashion 
and  its  caprices,  and  the  fact  that  it  is  and  always 
will  be  an  article  of  intrinsic  value  and  in  de- 
mand, it  at  once  occurs  to  us  that  the  government 
is  exceedingly  fortunate  in  having  this  great  am- 
phibious stock-yard,  far  up  and  away  in  this  seclu- 
sion of  Behring  Sea,  from  which  it  can  draw 
continuous  revenue,  and  on  which  its  wise  regu- 
lations and  its  firm  hand  can  continue  the  seals 
forever." 

This  writer's  remarks  should  be  qualified,  how- 
ever, so  far  as  to  state  that  the  Russians  possess 
some  profitable  "  rookeries  "  situated  on  the  Com- 
mander Islands,  seven  hundred  miles  to  the  south- 
west of  the  Prybiloff  group,  where  the  same  policy 
of  protection  for  breeding  purposes  is  enforced  as 
govern  the  traffic  on  our  own  islands.  It  is  true 
that  the  product  of  the  Russian  islands  is  as  noth- 
ing compared  with  that  of  St.  Paul  and  St.  George. 
A  small  number  of  fur-seal  are  also  secured  on  the 
coast  of  Brazil,  and  at  the  Shetland  and  Falkland 
Islands,  giving  perhaps  twenty  thousand  pehs  an- 
nually from  other  sources  than  those  named  in 
Alaska.  It  is  our  own  opinion  that  at  least  forty 
thousand  pelts  are  sent  to  market  by  unauthor- 
ized people  from  the  islands  and  coast  of  Alaska, 
which  number  should  be  added  to  the  hundred 
thousand  which  the  regular  company  aie  entitled 
to  export,  in  getting  at  the  aggregate  produced 
by  the  Territory. 


154  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

The  two  seal  islands  leased  to  the  Alaska  Com* 
mercial  Company  are  about  thirty  miles  apart, 
and  are  seemingly  among  the  most  insignificant 
landmarks  known  in  the  ocean.  It  is  only  on 
very  modern  m;ips  that  they  are  designated  at  all, 
but  they  afford  to  the  seals  the  happiest  isolation 
and  shelter,  their  position  being  such  as  to  envelop 
them  in  fog  banks  nine  days  out  of  ten  during 
the  entire  season  of  resort.  Neither  the  seals  nor 
the  natives  can  long  bear  the  glare  of  the  sum- 
mer sun,  and  so  find  no  fault  with  this  prevailing 
screen  between  them  and  the  sky.  There  are 
no  icebergs,  properly  so  called,  in  these  waters. 
Behring  Strait  is  too  shallow  for  anything  but 
light  field  ice  to  pass  into  the  North  Pacific  or 
Behring  Sea  ;  there  is  therefore  no  fear  of  visits 
from  the  pol  ir  bears  often  seen  floating  about  in 
the  frozen  sea  at  the  north.  They  would  make 
sad  havoc  among  the  seals  were  they  to  get  so  far 
south,  and  drive  them  away  altogether.  Ice  floats 
off  from  the  immediate  shores  in  the  spring,  but 
encountering  the  thermal  current,  this  soon  dis- 
solves, and  is  no  impediment  to  navigation.  It  is 
marvelous  that  the  natives  dwelling  on  the  group 
do  not  die  of  the  poisoned  atmosphere  arising 
from  the  thousands  upon  thousands  of  seal  car- 
casses annually  slaughtered,  and  which  are  left  to 
decay  upon  the  ground.  The  stench  thus  created 
is  so  powerful  that  vessels  sailing  to  leeward, 
three  or  four  miles  off  shore,  are  permeated  by  it, 
and  though  their  captains  may  not  have  been  able 
to  get  a  solar  observation  for  many  days,  they  can 


HABITS  OF  THE  SEAL.  155 

easily  tell  their  exact  latitude  and  longitude  by 
"  dead  reckoning."  Naval  surgeons  have  been 
detached  by  government  to  visit  and  examine  the 
physical  condition  of  the  people  on  St.  George 
and  St.  Paul,  touching  this  very  matter,  and  they 
have  reported  that  the  natives  enjoyed  good 
health,  the  mortality  among  them  being  at  a  very 
low  average  compared  with  that  of  other  semi-civ- 
ilized communities  favorably  situated.  There  is  a 
church  and  school-house  on  each  of  the  islands, 
•with  white  teachers,  and  also  a  skilled  physician, 
who  is  paid  for  his  services  by  the  Commercial 
Company. 

The  fur-seal  traffic  has  heretofore  exceeded  all 
other  regular  business  in  value  conducted  in  this 
Territory,  though  the  product  of  the  precious 
metals  will  in  future  probably  take  the  lead,  hard 
pressed  by  the  rajDidly  growing  development  of 
the  fisheries.  The  habits  of  the  seal  are  interest- 
ing and  very  peculiar.  It  is  a  social  animal,  and 
evinces  a  degree  of  intelligence  nearly  approach- 
ing that  of  the  dog.  Occasionally  a  young  one 
is  found  domesticated  among  the  natives  of  the 
more  populous  islands,  and  when  thus  brought  up 
among  human  beings  they  become  very  tractable, 
and  are  easily  taught  many  amusing  tricks.  They 
move  in  herds,  coming  to  the  breeding  grounds  in 
large  numbers,  and  at  regular  periods  of  the  year, 
that  is  in  the  latter  part  of  May  and  early  in 
June.  The  contrast  between  the  male  and  female 
seal  is  great,  the  former  being  large,  bold,  and  ag- 
gressive, the  latter  small,  peaceful,  and  quiet ;  both 


156  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

are  m'id.*ls  of  grace  and  symmetry  after  their 
kind.  Wliile  the  males  are  specimens  of  great 
physical  strength,  the  females  are  delicate,  timid, 
and  afTectionafe.  The  young  are  born  blind  and 
so  remain  for  a  couple  of  weeks,  or  more.  When 
they  are  about  six  weeks  old  the  mother  takes 
them  into  the  water  to  teach  them  to  swim. 
They  are  very  shy  of  the  sea  at  first,  but  persist- 
ent effort  on  the  mother's  part  soon  makes  them 
expert  swimmers,  and  rapidly  develops  that  side 
of  their  nature.  Daring  the  breeding  season  the 
old  males  remain  on  shore,  fasting  all  the  while, 
and  growing  extremely  thin,  living  by  absorption 
of  the  blubber  which  they  accumulate  while  at 
sea,  so  that  upon  retiring  at  the  end  of  the  season 
they  are  but  a  mere  shadow  of  their  former  selves. 
They  return  again  the  next  season,  however,  as 
plethoric  as  ever. 

"All  the  bulls,"  says  Mr.  Elliott,  "from  the 
very  first,  that  have  been  able  to  hold  their  posi- 
tions, have  not  left  them  from  the  moment  of 
their  landing,  for  a  single  instant,  night  or  day ; 
nor  will  they  do  so  until  the  end  of  the  rutting 
season,  which  subsides  entirely  between  August 
1st  and  10th.  It  begins  shortly  after  the  coming 
of  the  cows  in  early  June.  Of  necessity,  there- 
fore, this  causes  them  to  fast,  to  abstain  entirely 
from  food  of  any  kind,  or  water,  for  three  months 
at  least ;  and  a  few  of  them  actually  stay  out  four 
months,  in  total  abstinence,  before  going  back 
into  the  ocean  for  the  first  time  after  '  hauling 
up.'     They  then  return  as  so  many  bony  shadows 


ON   THE  BREEDING   GROUNDS.  157 

of  what  they  were  a  few  months  previously,  cov- 
ered with  wounds  ;  abject  and  spiritless,  they  labo- 
riously crawl  back  to  the  sea  to  obtain  a  fresh  lease 
of  lifeV' 

The  natural  food  of  the  seal  is  believed  to  be 
small  fishes  and  kelp,  that  prolific  product  of  the 
ocean  which  is  found  floating  in  nearly  all  lati- 
tudes, being  torn  from  its  rocky  bed  by  storms 
and  cai-ried  everywhere  on  the  tides  and  currents. 
The  females  seldom  give  birth  to  more  than  one  at 
a  time,  and  though  they  are  naturally  a  very  do- 
cile animal,  the  mother  will  fight  savagely  for  her 
young.  The  old  males  weigh  from  two  to  three 
hundred  pounds  each,  when  they  first  land,  soon 
gathering  a  harem  about  them  of  a  dozen  females 
or  more,  and  permitting  no  other  bull  to  approach 
the  circle.  There  are  occasional  elopements  among 
the  females,  enticed  away  by  young  bachelor  seals, 
who  have  no  family  ties  to  occupy  them,  but  as 
a  rule  the  females  remain  loyal,  at  least  during 
the  season.  The  full  grown  male  reaches  seven 
feet  in  length,  and  the  female  about  five  feet;  the 
latter  averages  about  a  hundred  pounds  in  weight, 
the  former  weio-h  twice  as  much  and  often  more. 
Natui'e  seems  to  produce  a  much  larger  number 
of  females  than  of  males,  besides  which  the  law 
protects  the  female  from  the  hunter.  The  killing 
of  these  animals  on  St.  Paul  and  St.  George  is 
nearly  all  done  in  six  weeks  of  each  year,  say 
from  the  10th  of  June  to  the  20th  of  July.  As 
regards  the  fur,  a  seal  at  four  years  of  age  is 
thought  to  yield  the  best,  and  is  therefore  con- 


158  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

sidered  to  be  at  that  time  in  bis  prime.  It  is  tbe 
males  of  tbis  age,  accordingly,  wbich  are  selected 
for  slaugbter.  So  numerous  ai'e  these  animals 
that  the  shore  is  often  black  with  them,  three  or 
four  thousand  being  in  sight  within  the  space  of  a 
hundred  square  rods.  The  pups  are  full  of  play- 
fulness, rolling  and  tumbling  about  like  a  litter  of 
kittens.  The  rule  not  to  kill  the  old  bulls  and 
female  young  is  a  necessary  precaution  to  prevent 
the  extermination  of  the  race,  which  indiscrimi- 
nate slaughter  has  probably  done  in  so  many  other 
places. 


CHAPTER  XL 

Enormous  Slaughter  of  Seals.  —  Manner  of  Killing.  —  Battles 
between  the  Bulls.  —  A  Mythical  Island.  —  The  Seal  as  Food. 
—  The  Sea-Otter.  —  A  Rare  and  Valuable  Fur.  —  The  Baby 
Sea-Otter.  —  Great  Breeding-Place  of  Birds.  —  Banks  of  the 
Yukon  River.  —  Fur -Bearing  Land  Animals.  —  Aggregate 
Value  of  the  Trade.  —  Character  of  the  Native  Race. 

Surgeon  J.  B.  Parker  tells  us  in  a  published 
article  upon  the  fur-seals  of  Alaska,  that  just 
previous  to  the  transfer  of  the  country  to  this 
government  five  hundred  thousand  sealskins  were 
being  taken  from  these  islands  annually,  though  it 
was  pretended  by  the  Russians  that  they  restricted 
the  number  to  one  quarter  of  this  total.  The 
strange  instinct  of  the  animals  which  causes  them 
to  return  yearly  in  such  marvelous  numbers  to  be 
slaughtered  is  a  mystery  difficult  to  solve.  Per- 
sistent cruelty  exercised  towards  them  for  a  cen- 
tury has  not  disturbed  their  affection  for  this 
chosen  breeding-place  of  their  ancestors  in  Behr- 
ing  Sea. 

The  seals  are  universally  killed  by  a  sharp  blow 
upon  the  head  from  a  club,  which  fractures  the 
skull  and  produces  instant  death.  The  natives 
are  so  skillful  in  dealing  this  blow  that  a  second 
one  is  not  necessary,  and  the  seal  cannot  reason- 
ably be  supposed  to  suffer  any  pain,  so  that  the 
operation  is  robbed  of  all  cruel  features.     The  fre- 


lP)0  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

qnent  battles  fought  between  the  old  bulls  to  main- 
tain possession  of  their  chosen  ground  and  their 
harems  are  represented  to  be  of  the  fiercest  char- 
acter, sometimes  ending  in  the  death  of  one  of  the 
combatants,  though  they  are  so  very  hardy  and 
tenacious  of  life  that  this  is  by  no  means  common. 
The  breedincj  season  is  at  its  heij^^ht  in  the  middle 
of  July.  Early  in  September,  the  pups  having 
learned  to  swim,  the  "  rookeries  "  are  gradually 
broken  up  for  the  season,  old  and  young  departing 
together  for  the  deep-sea  feeding  grounds,  nothing 
being  seen  of  them  again  as  a  body  until  the  fol- 
lowing May  or  June.  It  is  quite  a  mystery  as  to 
where  they  go,  but  that  they  promptly  disperse  in 
various  directions  seems  most  probable,  as  no  seals 
are  met  with  in  large  numbers  by  navigators  of 
the  Pacific  or  the  South  Seas,  and  they  only  land 
for  breeding  purposes.  The  author  has  seen  a  few 
in  the  month  of  j\Iarch  off  the  Samoan  group  of 
islands,  also  in  the  month  of  December  near  the 
coast  of  Cochin  China.  And  again,  in  crossing 
the  Indian  Ocean  from  Bombay  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Red  Sea,  in  February,  an  occasional  head  of 
the  fur-seal  would  appear  above  the  surface  of  the 
ocean,  showing  how  widely  dispersed  these  ani- 
mals are.  There  is  a  theory  which  has  long  ex- 
isted, to  the  effect  that  when  the  seals  depart  from 
Behring  Sea  they  seek  a  lonely  island  group  in  the 
centi'al  Pacific  Ocean,  somewhere  between  53°  and 
65°  north  latitude,  and  longitude  160°  to  170° 
west,  where  they  pass  their  winter  months  in  peace 
and  plenty.     Expeditions  have  been  fitted  out  at 


"ALASKA   PORK."  Ih. 

San  Francisco  for  the  purpose  of  discovering  these 
possible  islands,  but  no  one  has  ever  seen  them. 
Those  most  conversant  with  seal-life  do  not  entei-- 
tain  this  supposition,  and  for  good  reasons.  If  any 
such  land  existed  in  the  region  designated  it  would 
surely  have  been  discovered,  as  it  is  too  near  the 
direct  track  of  commerce  not  to  have  been  sighted 

o 

long  ago. 

The  flesh  of  the  fur-seal  is  eaten  by  the  natives, 
and  the  blubber  also  serves  for  fuel,  as  well  as  fur- 
nishing a  much-used  oil.  The  stench  of  the  burn- 
ing fat  is  extremely  disgusting  to  one  not  accus- 
tomed to  it.  There  is  but  little  lean  meat  on  the 
animal ;  nearly  the  whole  body  is  composed  of 
blubber.  The  whites  eat  the  flesh  of  the  young 
seal,  which  is  not  unpalatable  when  properl}^  pre- 
pared, and  is  called  Alaska  pork.  When  the  fe- 
males arrive  at  the  "  rookeries,"  like  the  old  males, 
they  are  in  remarkably  good  flesh,  so  much  so,  in- 
deed, as  to  render  locomotion  difficult ;  but  though 
they  do  not  fast  like  the  bulls,  they  nevertheless 
become  quite  thin  by  the  end  of  the  season. 

St.  George  and  St.  Paul  islands  contain  about 
three  hundred  and.  fifty  Aleuts,  whose  sole  busi- 
ness is  killing  and  skinning  the  seals,  and  after- 
wards salting  and  packing  the  pelts  for  shipment. 
They  are  all  in  the  regular  employment  of  the  Com- 
mercial Company,  which  leases  the  islands.  By 
the  terms  of  the  lease  from  our  government,  only 
natives  of  the  Aleutian  group  of  islands  can  be  em- 
ployed to  kill  the  seals  ;  no  whites  except  the  over- 
seers are  permitted  to  remain  on  the  two  islands. 


1G2  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

An  agent  of  the  United  States  occasionally  visits 
them  to  see  that  the  spirit  of  the  lease  is  faithfully 
adhered  to  ;  otherwise  they  are  quite  isolated  from 
the  outer  world.  Under  the  protective  system, 
which  is  presumedly  adhered  to,  the  number  of 
seals  is  said  to  be  on  the  increase,  and  the  space 
on  the  shores  which  they  occupy  is  enlarged  yeaily. 
It  has  been  officially  estimated,  after  actual  in- 
spection, that  over  one  million  seals  are  born 
on  these  islands  every  year.  It  is  asserted  that 
double  the  number  of  pelts  now  authorized  could 
safely  be  taken  from  the  Pribyloff  group  annually, 
and  it  would  certainly  seem  so,  when  this  extraor- 
dinary fecundity  is  realized.  But  it  must  also  be 
taken  into  consideration  that  man  is  not  the  only 
enemy  which  the  fur-seal  has  to  encounter.  When 
the  young  ones  leave  the  shore  to  begin  their  deep- 
sea  life,  they  become  the  prey  of  many  marine 
cormorants,  among  which  the  shark  is  said  to  be 
the  most  active.  This  tiger  of  the  ocean  does  not 
attack  the  large,  full-grown  seals,  who  are  too 
wary  and  active  for  him,  but  the  young  ones  often 
fill  his  capacious  maw. 

The  aborigines  employed  upon  the  seal  islands 
do  not  reach  a  very  old  age ;  persons  of  over  fifty 
years  are  seldom  found  among  them.  Consump- 
tion is  the  most  fatal  disease  which  they  en- 
counter; this  runs  its  course  with  singular  speed 
after  being  once  contracted.  All  attempts  of  the 
physicians  are  in  vain;  the  patient,  falling  into 
a  condition  of  hopeless  indifference,  soon  passes 
away.     We  were  told  that  the  natives  of  Alaska 


THE  SEA-OTTER.  163 

generally  were  very  difficult  to  treat  medically,  ig- 
noring the  benefit  of  medicines,  and  generally 
refusing  to  take  them.  These  semi-savages  will 
not  hesitate  to  resort  to  incantations  to  exorcise 
evil  spirits  (or  disease,  which  to  them  is  the  same 
thing),  but  they  fear  to  use  the  white  man's  agent 
to  remove  these  evil  influences. 

For  a  number  of  years  the  manufacture  of  oil 
from  seal  blubber  was  followed  by  the  fur  com- 
pany with  profit,  thus  disposino;  of  the  carcasses 
of  the  animals  whose  skin  had  been  removed ;  but 
oil-making  on  the  seal  islands  has  been  discon- 
tinued, as  being  no  longer  a  paying  business. 

The  sea-otter  is  a  large  animal,  having  fine, 
close  black  fur,  sprinkled  with  long,  white-tipped 
hairs,  which  strongly  individualize  it  and  add 
much  to  its  beauty.  Its  pelt  is  used  mostly  for 
trimming,  being  both  too  heavy  and  too  expensive 
for  making  up  into  entire  garments.  The  size  of 
a  full-grown  skin  is  about  four  feet  in  length  by 
about  two  and  a  half  wide.  It  is  a  solitary  marine 
animal,  never  seen  in  numbers,  rarely  even  with 
a  mate,  and  is  extremely  shy,  demanding  great 
patience  and  shrewdness  in  the  hunter  to  insure 
its  capture.  This  animal  rarely  lands  except  to 
bring  forth  its  young,  and  the  natives  say  that  it 
sometimes  gives  birth  to  its  progeny  on  floating 
sedge  or  kelp  at  sea.  Of  this  material  the  ingen- 
ious creature  makes  a  sort  of  buoyant  nest,  ac- 
cording to  the  natives'  ideas.  When  sleeping,  it 
floats  upon  its  back,  carrying  its  young  clasped 
to  its  body  in  a  ludicrously  human  fashion.     The 


164  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

Indians  hunt  the  animals  by  going  out  a  consid 
erable  distance  to  sea  in  their  fiail  canoes,  and 
watching  for  the  appearance  of  the  otter's  nose 
above  the  water,  they  paddle  silently  towards  it 
so  as  not  to  disturb  the  game.  At  the  proper 
moment  the  well-balanced  and  delicate  lance 
is  thrown  with  unerring  aim.  A  careful  watch 
is  then  kept  for  the  reappearance  of  the  otter, 
which  must  sooi\  come  to  the  surface  to  breathe, 
being  a  warm-blooded,  respii'atory  animal.  A 
second  lance  is  pretty  sure  to  disable  the  otter, 
when  it  floats  helpless  on  the  surface,  falling  an 
easy  prey  to  the  pursuer.  At  times  six  or  eight 
natives  in  single  canoes  join  in  the  hunt,  so  as  to 
form  a  broad  circle  ;  the  nearest  one  to  the  otter 
when  he  rises  after  being  wounded  is  the  one  to 
throw  the  second  lance.  The  hunters  obtain  from 
the  local  traders  between  forty  and  fifty  dollars 
for  a  full-grown  otter  skin,  and  sometimes  double 
that  amount,  so  that  if  successful  in  the  pursuit 
they  are  well  rewarded  for  many  hours  of  pa- 
tient watchfulness,  aside  from  which  they  realize 
a  keen  enjoyment  in  the  pursuit  as  sportsmen. 

The  hunters  oftenest  pursue  their  game  alone, 
and  if  a  native  secures  an  otter  after  a  whole  week 
of  watching  he  feels  well  repaid,  though  during 
that  time  he  has  lived  on  a  scanty  supply  of  food, 
and  has  sle[)t  nightly  in  the  open  air  exposed  to 
the  rain.  Sometimes  his  watch  is  kept  in  his 
boat  upon  the  sea,  and  sometimes  among  the 
rocks  on  the  shore,  in  a  bay  where  the  otters  are 
known    to  resort  occasionally.      A   few  years  of 


THE   FUR   OF   THE  SEA-OTTER.  165 

such  rough  life  and  exposure  ages  even  an  Ahiskan 
Indian,  and  it  is  not  surprising  that  rheumatism 
and  consumption  should  so  prevail  among  them. 
Up  to  a  certain  stage  such  a  life  may  liarden  the 
hunter,  but  the  turning-point  comes  at  last,  and 
when  the  native  begins  to  fail  in  physical  strength 
he  does  so  rapidly;  simply  giving  way  to  the 
first  attack,  rejecting  all  medicine  which  the 
white  man  may  offer,  and  unless  he  is  an  impor- 
tant member  of  his  tiibe,  a  chief  or  a  leader  of 
some  sort,  even  the  shaman  or  medicine  man  with 
his  incantations  is  not  called  in.  Good  nursing  is 
discarded,  the  invalid  considers  it  to  be  his  fate  to 
die,  and  seems  to  go  half  way  to  meet  the  grim 
destroyer. 

The  fur  of  the  sea-otter  varies  in  beauty  of 
texture  and  value  according  to  the  animal's  age 
and  the  season  of  the  year  in  which  it  is  captured. 
They  are  considered  to  be  in  their  prime  when 
about  five  years  old,  and  those  skins  which  are 
taken  in  winter  are  always  of  a  more  beautiful 
texture  than  those  which  are  secured  in  summer. 
Of  all  animals  hunted  by  man  it  is  most  on  the 
alert,  and,  as  we  have  said,  most  difficult  to  ob- 
tain. One  intelligent  statement  declares  that  be- 
fore they  were  so  systematically  hunted  eight 
thousand  skins  were  shipped  from  Alaska  in  a 
single  year,  but  we  believe  that  from  four  to  five 
thousand  otter  skins  would  be  considered  a  good 
twelve  months'  yield  in  these  days.  The  Saanack 
islets  and  reefs  are  the  principal  resort  of  these 
animals  on  the  coast,  and  hither  the  natives  come 


166  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

from  long  distances  to  hunt  tbem,  camping  on  the 
main  island.  Frequent  attempts  have  been  made 
to  rear  the  young  sea-otter,  specimens  being  often 
taken  when  the  mother  is  captured,  but  they  al- 
ways perish  by  starvation,  never  partaking  of 
food  after  being  separated  from  the  mother  ;  a 
well-known  fact,  which  was  referred  to  with  not  a 
little  sentiment  by  the  experienced  hunter  who 
related  the  circumstance  to  us.  "  Him  die  of 
broke  heart,"  said  the  native,  attempting  an  ex- 
pression of  tenderness  upon  his  egg-shaped  fea- 
tures, which  proved  a  ludicrous  caricature.  We 
saw  a  stuffed  specimen  of  a  young  sea-otter  in  a 
native  cabin  at  Juneau,  consisting  of  the  skin 
only,  but  very  cleverly  mounted  and  preserved  by 
the  hunter  who  had  captured  its  mother. 

It  is  somewhat  singular  that  the  world's  sup- 
ply of  otter  fur,  like  that  of  sealskin,  comes  almost 
entirely  from  the  coast  of  Alaska,  in  the  North 
Pacific  and  Behring  Sea.  Otter  fur  may  be  said  to 
be  almost  confined  in  its  geographical  distribution 
to  the  northwest  shores  of  America. 

The  successful  pursuit  of  the  animal,  so  far  as 
the  natives  are  concerned,  is  of  even  more  impor- 
tance than  that  of  the  fur-seals,  for  contingent 
upon  its  chase,  and  from  the  proceeds  of  its  pelts, 
some  five  thousand  natives  are  enabled  to  live  in 
comparative  luxury.  It  requires,  as  we  have 
shown,  great  energy,  hardihood,  and  patient  ap- 
plication to  effect  its  capture,  but  the  sea-otter  is 
a  most  beneficent  gift  of  Providence  to  these  ab- 
origines, and  administers,  as  well,  to  the  pride  of 


BIRDS.  167 

the  fashionable  world.  The  natives  in  former 
times  attached  great  importance  to  preparing 
themselves  for  hunting  the  sea-otter,  fasting,  bath- 
ing, and  performing  certain  mystic  rites  before 
embarking  for  the  purpose.  After  his  return 
from  a  successful  hunt  the  Aleut  was  accustomed 
to  destroy  the  garments  which  he  wore  during  the 
expedition,  throwing  them  into  the  sea,  so  that 
the  otters  might  find  them  and  come  to  the  con- 
clusion that  their  late  persecutor  had  been 
drowned  and  there  was  no  further  danger  in  fre- 
quenting the  shore.  This  practice,  ridiculous  as 
it  seems  to  us,  servesto  illustrate  the  superstitious 
character  of  the  Alaskan  natives,  who  seldom  fail 
to  see  omens  in  the  most  trifling  every -day  occur- 
rences. 

The  interior  and  northern  parts  of  Alaska  are 
the  greatest  breeding- places  for  birds  in  the 
world,  being  the  resort  of  innumerable  flocks, 
which  come  from  various  parts  of  this  continent, 
and  others  which  make  the  tropical  islands  their 
home  a  large  portion  of  the  year  on  both  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  sides  of  America.  These 
myriads  of  the  feathered  tribes  consist  largely  of 
geese,  ducks,  and  swans,  coming  hither  for  nest- 
ing, and  to  fatten  upon  the  wild  salmon  berries, 
red  and  black  currants,  cranberries,  blackberries, 
bilberries,  and  the  like,  which  greatly  abound  dur- 
ing the  brief  but  intense  Arctic  summer.  There 
are  eleven  kinds  of  edible  berries  which  mature  in 
August,  among  which  the  wild  strawberries  are 
the  finest  flavored  we  have  ever  eaten.     It  is  said 


168  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

that  the  geese  especially  become  so  fat  feeding 
upon  the  plentiful  supply  of  wholesome  food  that 
at  the  close  of  the  season  they  can  hardly  fly,  and 
are  thus  easily  caught  by  the  natives,  who,  in 
turn,  feast  luxuriously  upon  their  tender  and  suc- 
culent flesh.  Explorers  tell  us  that  they  have 
seen  on  the  banks  of  the  Yukon  —  the  great  river 
of  central  Alaska,  and  the  third  in  magnitude 
in  America  —  the  breeding-place  of  the  canvas- 
back  ducks,  which  has  been  heretofore  a  matter 
of  some  mystery.  They  prepare  on  the  banks 
of  this  northern  watercourse  broad  platforms  of 
sedge,  mingled  with  small  tU'igs  and  bushes,  laid 
compactly  on  marshy  places,  and  without  build- 
ing a  carefully  arranged  nest  deposit  their  eggs 
in  untold  numbers.  That  keen  and  scientific 
observer,  the  late  Major  Kennicott,  says  he  saw 
on  the  banks  of  the  Yukon  acres  of  marshy 
ground  thus  covered  with  the  eggs  of  the  canvas- 
back  ducks,  in  numbers  defying  computation. 
"  Tlie  region  drained  by  the  Upper  Yukon  is 
spoken  of  by  explorers,"  says  Mr.  Charles  Hal- 
lock,  editor  of  "Forest  and  Stream,"  "as  bfing 
a  perfect  Eden,  where  flowers  bloom,  beneficent 
plants  yield  their  berries  and  fruits,  majestic 
trees  spread  their  umbrageous  fronds,  and  song- 
birds make  the  branches  vocal.  The  water  of  tlie 
streams  is  pure  and  pellucid ;  the  blue  of  the  rip- 
pled lake  is  like  Geneva's  ;  their  banks  resplen- 
dent with  verdure,  and  with  grass  and  shining 
pebbles." 

At  the  first  approach  of  winter  the  augmented 


THE  HAIR-SEAL.  169 

millions  of  birds  take  flight  for  the  low  latitudes, 
or  their  homes  in  the  temperate  zone,  tlie  old 
birds  accompanied  by  the  broods  which  they  havj 
hatched  in  the  solitudes  of  the  far  north.  Those 
which  have  come  fioni  the  neighborhood  of  tlie 
Caribbean  Sea  turn  in  their  flight  unerringly  in 
that  direction ;  those  from  the  South  Pacific 
islands  heading  as  surely  for  that  tropical  region. 
Only  the  ptarmigan  and  the  Arctic  owl,  with  a 
few  of  the  white-hawk  family,  remain  to  brave 
the  winter  cold  of  northern  Alaska,  with  the 
hardy  Eskimo,  the  walrus,  and  the  polar  bear. 
The  smaller  tribes  of  birds  are  well  represented 
here  in  the  summer  season,  even  including  several 
species  of  swallows,  martins,  and  sparrows,  these 
tiny  creatures  seeming  to  follow  some  general 
bird  instinct.  Even  the  domestic  robin  is  seen  as 
far  north  as  Sitka.  Limited  scientific  researcli 
lias  recognized  and  classified  one  hundred  and 
ninety -two  different  kinds  of  birds  which  ai'e 
found  in  this  Tenitory,  a  considerable  number  of 
which  were  unknown  to  science  previous  to  1867. 
We  have  said  nothing  relative  to  the  hair-seals, 
or  sea-lions,  of  Alaska,  because  their  importance 
is  comparatively  insignificant,  having  no  commer- 
cial value.  Nevertheless,  they  are  utiliz,ed  by 
the  ingenious  natives  in  various  ways ;  the  hides 
serve  as  a  covering  for  a  certain  class  of  boats, 
made  with  wooden  frames,  and  are  also  employed 
for  several  domestic  purposes.  The  walrus  is 
found  in  largest  numbers  on  the  north  coast,  in 
the  true  Arctic  region,   affording   some  valuable 


170  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

oil,  together  with  considerable  ivoi'V,  in  carving 
which  the  natives  are  very  expert.  Though  the 
fur-trade  of  the  land  is  by  no  means  equal  to  that 
of  the  sea,  still  its  aggregate  results  are  very  con- 
siderable. It  employs  numerous  hunters  and 
gives  profitable  business  to  many  white  traders, 
nearly  all  of  whom  make  a  permanent  home  in 
the  Territory.  Undoubtedly  the  most  prolific 
and  valuable  fur-yielding  district  on  the  main- 
land is  the  valley  of  the  Yukon,  where  the  beaver, 
marten,  several  kinds  of  bears,  with  the  wolf  and 
fox,  afford  the  best  fur.  We  saw  at  the  princi- 
pal store  in  Wrangel  many  packages  of  bearskins 
prepared  for  shipment  to  San  Francisco.  These 
packages  would  average  five  hundred  dollars  each 
in  value,  and  had  been  gathered  from  those 
brought  in  by  the  natives  during  the  two  weeks 
intervening  between  the  arrival  of  the  regular 
steamers.  Single  bearskins  sell  here,  according  to 
their  marketable  character,  for  from  twenty-five  to 
thirty-five  dollars  each.  The  natives  make  little 
or  no  use  of  these  skins,  preferring  the  woolen 
blanket  of  commerce.  The  red  and  cross  fox  is 
found  everywhere  in  the  Territory,  and  its  skin  is 
comparatively  cheap.  It  is  singular  that  the  blue 
fox  is  found  only  on  the  islands  of  St.  Paul,  St. 
George,  Attoo,  and  Atkha,  while  the  white  fox  is 
to  be  sought  only  at  the  far  north.  There  is  also 
the  black  fox,  whicii,  however,  is  a  great  rarity, 
thought  to  be  an  occasional  accident  of  nature; 
the  skins  always  biing  extravagant  prices  from 
the  traders.      The  black  fox  is  not  found  in  any 


THE  FUR-TRADE.  171 

special  locality,  but  occurs  now  and  again  in  any 
part  of  the  Territory.  The  skin  of  the  silver  fox/ 
is  also  highly  prized,  and  proves  a  valuable  peltry 
to  the  native  hunters,  forty  dollars  each  being 
the  usual  price  paid  by  the  white  traders.  Only 
a  few  hundred  are  taken  yearly.  The  land-otter 
and  the  beaver  so  abound  as  to  make  up  a  large 
total  value  annually.  The  latest  official  records 
show  that  there  has  been  produced  and  shipped 
from  Alaska  annually  an  average  of  fifty-seven 
thousand  beaver  skins  ;  eighteen  thousand  land- 
otter  skins  ;  seventy-one  thousand  foxes'  skins  of 
the  various  sorts  ;  and  of  musk-rats  two  hundred 
'and  twenty-one  thousand.  These  figures  should 
be  largely  added  to  in  each  instance  (we  were 
told  by  one  official  that  this  aggregate  estimate 
should  be  doubled),  in  order  to  include  the  un- 
registered pelts  which  are  annually  secured  by 
various  hunters,  both  whites  and  natives,  and 
which  find  their  way  to  distant  markets  through 
irregular  channels,  more  especially  over  the  bor- 
ders of  British  Columbia. 

This  fur-trade  is  open  to  all,  but  requires  capi- 
tal, organization,  and  persistency  to  make  it  profit- 
able. The  natives  do  nearly  all  of  the  hunting 
and  trapping,  and  will  oidy  engage  in  it,  as  a  rule, 
to  supply  themselves  with  means  to  procure  cer- 
tain luxuries  from  the  trader's  store,  such  as  sugar, 
tea,  and  tobacco.  We  are  sorry  to  add  to  these 
comparative  necessities  the  article  of  whiskey, 
which  is  only  too  often  furnished  illicitly  to  the 
eager  natives.     When   these   wants   are   supplied 


172  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

they  idle  away  their  time  until  stimulated  once 
more  by  their  necessities  to  go  upon  the  trail  of 
the  fiir-boaring  animals.  Of  course  there  are  some 
exceptions  to  this,  many  of  tliem  being  steady  and 
willing  workers,  but  we  speak  of  the  average  na- 
tive. There  is  no  fear  of  the  supply  of  furs  being 
exhausted  under  tliis  system  of  capture  ;  even  a 
combined  and  vigorous  effort  on  the  part  of  the 
hunters  could  not  accomplish  that  in  many  years. 
Unlike  our  western  Indians,  these  Alaskans  are 
a  comparatively  thrifty  race,  entirely  self -sustain- 
ing, and  never  require  support  from  the  govern- 
ment, notwithstanding  idUmess  is  their  besetting 
sin,  as  is,  indeed,  characteristic  of  uncivilized  peo- 
ple everywhere. 

We  were  told  of  several  of  these  aborigines  who 
had  learned  the  lesson  of  thrift  from  the  whites 
to  such  good  effect  as  to  have  saved  sums  of 
money  varying  from  one  to  five  hundred  dollars, 
which  they  had  deposited  in  the  Savings  Bank  of 
San  Francisco,  and  upon  which  they  drew  their 
annual  interest ;  an  investment,  the  safety  and 
economy  of  which  they  fully  appreciated. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Climate  of  Alaska.  —  Ample  Grass  for  Domestic  Cattle. — Win- 
ter and  Summer  Seasons. — The  Japanese  Current.  —  Tem- 
perature in  the  Interior.  —  The  Eskimos.  —  Their  Customs. 
—  Their  Homes.  —  These  Arctic  Regions  once  Tropical. — 
The  Mississippi  of  Alaska.  —  Placer  Mines.  —  The  Natives. — 
Strong  Inclination  for  Intoxicants. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact,  proven  by  official  ob- 
servations, that  the  climate  of  the  Pacific  coast  is 
considerably  more  temperate  than  that  of  the 
same  latitude  on  the  Atlantic  side  of  the  conti- 
nent. The  record  of  ten  consecutive  years,  kept 
at  Sitka,  gave  an  annual  mean  of  46°  Fah, 

Tliis  is  in  latitude  57°  3'  north,  and  is  found  b}^ 
comparison  to  be  four  degrees  warmer  than  the 
average  of  Portland,  Me.,  or  six  degrees  warmer 
than  the  temperature  of  Quebec,  Canada.  The 
average  winter  is  milder,  therefore,  at  Sitka  than 
it  is  at  Boston,  however  singular  the  assertion 
may  at  first  strike  us,  in  connection  with  the  com- 
monly entertained  idea  of  this  northwestern  Ter- 
ritory. The  me.an  winter  temperature  of  Sitka 
and  Newport,  R.  L,  are  very  nearly  the  same,  and 
there  is  only  a  difference  of  six  degrees  in  tlieir 
mean  yearly  temperature,  though  there  is  a  differ- 
ence of  sixteen  degrees  of  latitude. 

We  have  before  us  a  printed  letter  which  ap- 
peared in   the   "  Philadelphia   Press,"   signed    by 


174  THE   NEW  ELDORADO. 

Mr.  C.  F.  Fowler,  late  an  agent  of  the  Alaska 
Fur  Company,  who  has  resided  for  twelve  years 
in  Alaska,  in  which  he  says  :  "  You  who  live  in 
the  States  look  upon  this  country  as  a  land  of  per- 
petual ice  and  snow,  yet  I  grew  in  my  garden  last 
year,  at  Kodiak,  abundant  crops  of  radishes,  let- 
tuce, can-ots,  onions,  cauliflowers,  cabbages,  peas, 
tui'nips,  potatoes,  beets,  parsnips,  and  celery. 
Within  five  miles  of  this  garden  was  one  of  the 
largest  glaciers  in  Alaska."  In  a  certain  sense  it 
is  surely  a  country  of  paradoxes. 

The  harbor  of  Sitka  is  never  closed  by  ice, 
which  cannot  be  truthfully  said  of  Boston  or  New 
York. 

Dr.  Sheldon  Jackson,  long  resident  in  the  Ter- 
ritory as  United  States  general  agent  of  educa- 
tion for  Alaska,  tells  us  that  the  temperature  of 
Sitka  and  that  of  Richmond,  Va.,  are  nearly  iden- 
tical. Mr.  McLean  of  the  United  States  Signal 
Service,  who  has  been  located  at  Sitka  for  several 
years,  says,  "  the  climate  of  southern  Alaska  is 
the  most  equable  I  ever  experienced." 

There  is  in  Alaska  a  very  large  section  of  coun- 
try, composed  of  islands  and  the  mainland,  where 
the  average  temperature  is  higher  than  at  Chris- 
tiania,  capital  of  Norway,  or  Stockholm,  capital 
of  Sweden,  —  where  the  winters  are  milder  and 
the  fall  of  rain  and  snow  is  less  than  in  southern 
Scandinavia,  which  is  the  geographical  counter- 
part of  Alaska  in  the  opposite  hemisphere.  Sitka 
harbor  is  no  more  subject  to  arctic  temperature 
than  is  Clresapeake  Bay.     "  It  must  be  a  fastidi- 


TEMPERA  TURE.  1 7  5 

ous  person,"  said  Mr.  Seward  in  his  speech  upon 
Alaska,  *'  who  complains  of  a  climate  in  which, 
while  the  eagle  delights  to  soar,  the  humming- 
bird does  not  disdain  to  flutter."  If  it  is  some- 
times misty  and  foggy  on  the  coast,  it  is  not  so  to 
a  greater  extent  than  is  the  case  during  a  large 
portion  of  the  year  in  the  cities  of  London  and 
Liverpool. 

Both  the  islands  and  mainland  of  this  latitude 
afford  'ample  grass  for  cows,  sheep,  and  horses, 
also  producing,  with  ordinary  care,  the  usual  do- 
mestic vegetables,  as  we  have  shown,  the  asser- 
tion of  certain  writers  to  the  contrary  notwith- 
standing. We  have  not  far  to  look  for  the  cause 
of  this  favorable  temperature  existing  at  so  north- 
erly a  range  of  latitude.  The  thermal  stream 
known  as  the  Japanese  Current,  coming  from  the 
far  south  charged  with  equatorial  heat,  is  precisely 
similar  in  its  effect  to  that  of  the  better  known 
Gulf  Stream  on  our  Atlantic  coast,  rendering  the 
climate  of  these  islands  and  the  coast  of  the  main- 
land of  the  North  Pacific  remarkably  warm  and 
humid.  We  speak  especially  and  at  length  of  this 
subject  of  the  temperature  of  Alaska,  because  a 
wrong  impression  is  so  generally  held  concerning 
it.  At  a  distance  from  the  coast  the  temperature 
falls,  and  most  of  the  inland  rivers  are  closed  by 
ice  half  the  year.  Even  in  the  interior  we  are  in 
about  the  same  latitude  and  average  temperature 
of  St.  Petersburg.  Thus  on  the  line  of  Behring 
Strait  the  annual  mean  at  Fort  Yukon,  which  lies 
just  inside  of  the  Arctic  circle,  six  hundred  miles 


176  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

inland  from  Norton  Sound,  is  16.92° ;  this  is  in 
latitude  ^-^°  north.  Along  the  coast  of  southern 
Alaska  the  fall  of  snow  is  not  greater  in  amount 
than  is  experienced  during  an  ordinary  winter  in 
the  New  England  States,  and  it  disappears  even 
more  quickly  than  it  does  in  Vermont  and  New 
Hampshire.  In  the  interior  and  at  the  far  north, 
the  quantity  of  snow  is  of  course  much  greater, 
and  covers  the  ground  for  about  half  the  year. 

But  where  the  sun  shines  continuously  through- 
out the  twenty-four  hours,  the  giowth  of  vegetable 
life  is  extremely  rapid.  The  snow  has  hardly  dis- 
appeared before  a  mass  of  herbage  springs  up,  and 
on  the  spot  so  lately  covered  by  a  white  sheet, 
sparkling  with  frosty  crystals,  there  is  spread  a 
soft  mantle  of  variegated  green.  The  leaves,  blos- 
soms, and  fruits  rapidly  follow  each  other,  so  that 
even  in  this  boreal  region  there  is  seed-time  and 
harvest.  The  annual  recurrence  of  this  carnival 
season  is  all  the  more  impressive  in  the  realm  of 
the  Frost  King. 

The  Japanese  Current,  already  referred  to, 
strikes  these  shores  at  Queen  Charlotte  Island  in 
latitude  50°  north,  where  it  divides,  one  portion 
going  northward  and  westward  along  the  coast  of 
Alaska,  and  the  other  southward,  tempering  the 
waters  Avhich  border  upon  Washington,  Oregon, 
and  California;  hence  their  mild  climate.  Sea 
captains  who  frequently  make  the  voyage  between 
San  Francisco  and  Yokohama  have  told  the  au- 
thor that  this  Japanese  Current —  with  banks 
and  bottom  of  cold  water,  while  its  body  and  sur- 


DIVERSITY  OF  CLIMATE.  177 

face  are  warm  —  is  so  clearly  defined  as  to  be  dis- 
tinguishable in  color  from  the  ordinary  hue  of  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  and  that  its  deep  blue  forms  a  visi- 
ble line  of  demarcation  between  the  greater  body 
and  itself  along  its  entire  course.  The  thermom- 
eter will  easily  define  such  a  cin-rent,  and  this  the 
author  has  often  seen  demonstrated  from  a  ship's 
deck ;  but  it  must  be  a  very  keen  e^^e  that  can  dis- 
tinguish such  differences  of  color  at  sea  as  the 
above  assertion  would  indicate. 

In  so  extended  a  territory  as  that  of  Alaska, 
with  broad  plains,  deep  valleys,  and  lofty  moun- 
tain ranges,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  there  must 
be  a  great  diversity  of  climate.  The  brief  in- 
land summer  is  represented  to  exhibit  marked 
extremes  of  heat,  and  the  winter  corresponding 
extremes  of  cold.  W.  H.  Dall,  an  undoubted  au- 
tliority  in  all  matters  relating  to  the  valley  of  the 
Yukon,  though  his  book  upon  the  country  was 
published  some  twenty  years  since,  says :  "  At 
Fort  Yukon  I  have  seen  the  thermometer  at  noon, 
not  in  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun,  stand  at  112°,  and 
I  was  informed  by  the  commander  of  the  post 
tliat  several  spirit  thermometers  graded  up  to 
120°  had  burst  under  the  scorching  sun  of  the 
Arctic  midsummer."  Fort  Yukon  is  the  most 
northerly  point  in  Alaska  inhabited  by  white  men. 
It  is  estimated  that  ten  or  twelve  thousand  Eski- 
mos live  in  the  uninviting  region  north  of  the  Yu- 
kon valley.  They  are  a  most  remarkable  people, 
who  are  struggling  with  the  cold  three  quartei-s  of 
the  year,  and  who  seem  to  be  strangely  content 


178  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

with  a  bare  existence.  Their  days  and  nights, 
their  seasons  and  years,  are  not  like  those  of  the 
rest  of  tlie  world.  Six  months  of  day  is  succeeded 
by  six  months  of  night.  They  have  three  months 
of  sunless  winter,  three  months  of  nightless  sum- 
mer, and  six  months  of  gloomy  twilight.  No 
Christian  enlightenment  or  religious  teaching  of 
any  sort  h<is  ever  found  its  way  into  this  region. 
The  people  believe  in  evil  spirits  and  powers  who 
are  in  some  way  to  be  propitiated,  but  have  no 
conception  of  a  Divine  Being  who  overrules  all 
things  for  good.  Like  the  southern  Alaskans  they 
are  superstitious  to  the  last  degree,  and  discover 
omens  in  the  most  ordinary  occurrences.  The 
decencies  of  life  are  almost  totally  disregarded 
among  them,  their  highest  purpose  being  appar- 
ently the  achievement  of  animal  comfort  and 
gorging  themselves  with  food  and  oil. 

Their  sky  is  famous  for  its  beautiful  auroral  dis- 
play—  gorgeous  pyrotechnics  of  nature  —  in  the 
long,  chill  winter  night,  when  a  brilliant  arch  spans 
the  heavens  from  east  to  west,  marked  with  oscil- 
lating hues  of  yellow,  blue,  green,  and  violet,  ren- 
dering everything  light  as  day  for  a  few  monionts, 
then  falling  back  into  darkness.  So  off  the  coast 
of  Norway  among  the  Lofoden  Islands,  the  hardy 
men  who  pursue  the  cod-fishery  in  that  region, 
during  the  winter  season,  depend  upon  the  Aurora 
Borealis  to  light  their  midnight  labor,  that  being 
considered  the  most  favorable  hour  of  the  twenty- 
four  to  secure  the  fish.  Without  this  nocturnal 
met(!()ric  illumination,  it  would  be  darkness  indeed 
in  the  polar  regions  for  half  the  year. 


THE  ESKIMOS.  170 

This  phenomenon  in  its  Arctic  development  is 
so  much  intensified  as  to  quite  belittle  the  exhi- 
bition with  which  we  are  familiar  in  New  Eng- 
land, and  which  is  called  the  Northern  Lights. 

It  is  certainly  very  odd  that  these  boreal  natives, 
the  Eskimos  proper,  should  have  precisely  the 
same  mode  of  salutation  which  the  New  Zealand 
Maoris  practice,  though  they  are  separated  by  so 
many  thousand  miles  of  ocean,  namely,  the  rubbing 
of  noses  together  between  two  persons  who  desire 
to  evince  pleasure  at  meeting.  No  matter  how  oily 
the  Eskimo's  nose  may  be,  or  however  dirty  the 
Maori's  face,  to  decline  this  mode  of  salutation 
when  offered  is  to  give  mortal  offense,  either  in 
tropical  New  Zealand  or  in  arctic  Alaska,  at 
Point  Barrow  or  at  Ohinemutu.  "  The  home  of 
the  Eskimos,"  says  Bancroft,  in  his  excellent  work 
on  the  natives  of  the  Pacific  coast,  "  is  a  model  of 
filth  and  freeness.  Coyness  is  not  one  of  their 
vices,  nor  is  modesty  ranked  among  their  virtues. 
The  latitude  of  innocency  characterizes  all  their 
social  relations  ;  they  refuse  to  do  nothing  in  pub- 
lic that  they  would  do  in  private."  They  seem  to 
live  in  a  primitive  state,  without  craving  anything 
of  the  white  man's  possessions,  except  tobacco  and 
rum,  which  are  smuggled  to  them  by  contraband- 
ists, who  come  on  to  the  coast  to  trade  for  furs  and 
ivory.  This  class  of  traders,  sailing  from  San 
Francisco,  and  stopping  at  the  Hawaiian  Islands 
to  procure  a  few  hogsheads  of  the  vilest  intoxicant 
which  is  made,  pass  along  the  northern  coast  of 
Alaska,  touching  at  certain  places  where  they  are 


180  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

expected  annually.  The  walrus  not  only  sup- 
plies the  Eskimo  with  food,  but  its  tusks  are 
used  as  the  common  currency  among  them,  and 
are  secured  in  considerable  quantities  by  tiie  il- 
licit traders.  The  encroachment  of  unscrupulous 
contrabandists  renders  the  utter  extinction  of  the 
walrus  only  a  question  of  time.  It  is  to  be  re- 
gretted that  the  wholesale  slaughter  of  this  ani- 
mal cannot  be  prevented.  If  this  could  be  brought 
about,  as  in  the  instance  of  the  fur-seal,  we  might 
continue  to  get  ivory  from  the  shores  of  the 
Frozen  Sea  for  all  time.  The  natural  enemy  of 
the  walrus  is  the  polar  bear,  but  his  most  relent- 
less pursuer  is  man. 

These  Eskimos  wrap  their  dead  in  skins  closely 
sewed  and  lay  them  in  the  tundra,  together  with 
the  worldly  possessions  of  the  deceased,  without 
any  funeral  ceremonies.  It  would  be  sacrilege 
for  any  one  to  disturb  this  property  left  with  the 
body,  and  no  member  of  the  tribe  would  think  of 
doing  so. 

In  the  Yukon  Valley  the  remains  of  elephants 
and  buffaloes  are  found  fossilized,  as  those  of  the 
rhinoceros  were  discovered  on  the  opposite  conti- 
nent in  Siberia,  thus  showing  that  this  now 
arctic  region  was  once  tropical,  a  conclusion, 
nevertheless,  which  seems  to  be  almost  impossible 
to  the  traveler  while  gazing  upon  Niagaras  of 
frozen  rivers  in  the  month  of  July. 

The  Yukon  River  is  the  Mississippi  of  Alaska, 
forming  with  its  several  tributaries  the  great  in- 
land highway  of  the  Territory.     As  yet  there  are 


THE   YUKON  RIVER.  181 

no  roads  in  the  country,  everything  is  transported 
by  water  or  on  the  backs  of  the  natives ;  the  great 
importance  of  such  an  extensive  water-way  c;in 
therefore  be  readily  understood.  The  magnitude 
of  the  Yukon — one  of  the  twelve  longest  rivers 
in  the  world  —  will  be  realized  by  the  fact  tliat 
it  is  still  a  matter  of  doubt  among  different  writ- 
ers which  of  the  two  rivei-s  named  is  the  largest 
with  respect  to  the  volume  of  their  currents, 
though  Ivan  Petroff,  in  his  report  as  agent  of  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior,  speaks  thus  confidently 
upon  the  subject :  "  The  people  of  the  United 
States  will  not  be  quick  to  take  the  idea  that  the 
volume  of  water  in  an  Alaskan  river  is  greater 
than  that  discharged  by  their  own  Mississippi ; 
but  it  is  entirely  within  the  bounds  of  honest 
statement  to  say  that  the  Yukon  River,  the  vast 
deltoid  mouth  of  which  opens  into  Norton  Sound, 
of  Behring  Strait,  discharges  every  hour  of  re- 
corded time  as  much,  if  not  one  third  more,  water, 
than  the  '  Father  of  Waters '  as  it  flows  to  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico." 

This  writer  does  not  seem  to  us  given  to  exag- 
geration, but  still  we  are  a  little  inclined  to  question 
the  accuracy  of  his  estimate  as  to  the  volume  of 
water  borne  seaward  by  this  great  Alaskan  river. 

The  Yukon  rises  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  range 
of  British  Columbia;  entering  Alaska  at  about 
64°  north  latitude,  and  pursuing  its  course  nearly 
from  east  to  west  across  the  entire  Territory,  it 
finally  empties,  as  stated,  into  Behring  Strait 
through  Norton  Sound.    The  liver  is  navigable  for 


182  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

fifteen  to  eighteen  hundred  miles,  while  its  entire 
length  is  computed  at  over  two  thousand  miles,  with 
an  average  width  of  five  miles  for  half  the  distance 
from  its  mouth.  There  are  several  places  on  the 
lower  Yukon  where  one  bank  is  invisible  from 
the  other.  It  is  seventy-five  miles  across  its  five 
mouths  and  the  intersecting  deltas.  At  some 
places,  six  or  seven  hundred  miles  inland,  the 
I'iver  expands  to  twenty  miles  in  breadth,  thus 
forming  in  the  interior  a  series  of  connected  lakes, 
which  explorers  pronounce  to  be  deep  and  navi- 
gable in  all  parts.  This  great  water-way  can  only 
be  said  to  have  been  partially  explored,  but  those 
])ersevering  pioneers  who  have  made  the  attempt 
to  unravel  its  mysteries  have  given  us  extremely 
interesting  details  of  their  experiences,  all  uniting 
in  bearing  witness  that  its  banks  are  rich  in  fur- 
bearing  animals,  and  that  its  waters  are  stocked 
with  an  abundance  of  fish,  including  the  all-per- 
vading salmon.  These  valuable  fishes  follow  the 
same  instinct  which  they  exhibit  in  other  parts  of 
the  world,  in  their  annual  pilgrimage  of  reproduc- 
tion, that  is,  after  entering  a  river's  mouth,  to 
advance  as  far  as  possible  towards  its  source. 
Besides  fish  and  fur-bearing  animals,  the  region 
through  which  the  Yukon  flows  contains  abundant 
deposits  of  gold,  silver,  copper,  nickel,  and  bitu- 
minous coal.  Some  placer  gold  mines  which 
were  worked  on  its  banks  and  in  its  shallows,  so 
long  as  the  season  permitted,  are  credibly  reported 
to  have  yielded  to  one  party  of  prospectors 
nearly  eighty  dollars  per  day  to  each  man. 


THE  INLAND   TRIBES.  183 

The  trouble  to  be  encountered  in  working  these 
phicers  is  owing  to  their  remoteness  from  all  sources 
of  supply,  and  the  exposure  to  the  long  winters 
which  prevail  in  the  placer  gold-producing  regions. 
These  are  obstacles,  however,  which  will  one  of 
tliese  days  be  overcome  by  the  erection  of  suitable 
shelter,  and  a  rich  new  mining  field  will  thus  be 
permanently  opened.  There  are  a  number  of 
trading-posts  along  the  course  of  the  Yukon  at 
which  white  men  reside  permanently  to  traffic 
with  the  natives,  purchasing  furs  from  such  as  will 
hunt ;  and  there  are  many  who  are  represented  to 
be  industrious  and  provident,  supplying  the  whites 
with  meat  and  fish  as  well  as  with  pelts,  fully  ap- 
preciating the  advantage  of  steady  habits  and  reg- 
ular wages.  In  this  respect  the  inland  tribes  dif- 
fer materially  from  most  of  those  living  on  the 
coast ;  the  latter  care  little  for  work  or  wages  until 
they  are  driven  by  necessity  to  seek  employment. 
We  speak  in  general  terms ;  there  are  of  course 
many  worthy  exceptions,  but  savage  races  have 
little  idea  of  thrift,  and  like  the  wild  animals  are 
aroused  to  action  only  by  the  demands  of  hunger. 
In  equatorial  regions  where  the  nutritious  fruits 
are  so  abundant  that  the  natives  have  only  to 
pluck  and  to  eat,  they  are  sluggish,  dirty,  and 
heedless,  living  only  for  the  present  hour.  In  this 
Arctic  region  where  the  sea  is  crowded  with  food 
and  the  fields  are  covered  with  berries,  the  same 
listlessness  prevails  as  regards  the  future  with 
nine  out  of  ten  of  the  aborigines.  These  remarks 
do  not  apply  to  the  Aleuts,  from  whom  the  Com- 


184  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

mercial  Company  obtains  its  workmen.  These 
are  mostly  half-breeds,  who  are  far  more  civilized 
than  are  our  Western  Indians. 

The  proprietors  of  the  Tread  well  gold  mine, 
Douglass  Island,  and  of  the  works  at  Silver  Bow 
Basin,  employ  large  numbers  of  the  natives,  find- 
ing them  to  be  reliable  and  industrious  laborers. 

"  Where  we  can  separate  these  Alaskan  natives 
from  the  objectionable  influences  which  are  apt  to 
grow  up  in  populous  centres,  Hnd  especially  from 
multitudes  of  adventurous  miners  who  come  from 
a  distance,  we  find  them  to  be  faithful  and  tracta- 
ble workers,"  said  an  employer  to  us. 

"  How  about  the  Chinese  ?  "  we  asked. 

"  They  are  excellent  workers,"  was  the  reply. 
"  Set  them  a  task,  show  them  how  to  perform  it, 
and  it  will  surely  be  done.  They  are  almost  like 
automatons  in  this  respect  and  require  no  watch- 
ing.'' 

''  Then  why  not  employ  them  more  generally?" 

"Because  of  the  prejudice,  the  unreasonable 
]>rejiidice,  against  them.  Our  other  workmen  re- 
bel if  we  keep  many  Chinamen  on  the  pay-roll." 

This  corresponded  exactly  with  the  author's 
experience  elsewliero,  in  various  parts  of  the  world 
where  the  Chinese  have  sought  a  new  home  out- 
side of  China.  John  is  not  perfect,  but  he  is  in- 
finitely superior  to  a  large  portion  of  the  drinking, 
rowdy,  and  restless  foreign  element  which  fills  so 
large  a  place  in  the  labor  field  of  this  country. 

The  greatest  care  is  necessary  to  keep  spiritu- 
ous liquors  away   from  the  aborigines,  a  craving 


NATIVE  DESIRE  FOR  INTOXICANTS.     185 

for  which  is  beyond  their  control  where  there  is  a 
possibility  of  its  being  obtained.  When  they  fall 
under  its  influence  they  seem  to  utterly  lose  their 
senses,  and  become  dangerous  both  to  themselves 
and  to  the  whites.  As  has  been  intimated,  the 
only  means  of  locomotion  is  afforded  by  the  water- 
courses, and  the  natives,  being  excellent  canoeists, 
find  ample  employment  of  this  nature,  both  in 
traversing  the  rivers  and  along  the  shore  of  the 
islands.  The  waters  of  the  Yukon,  like  those  of 
the  Neva  at  St.  Petersburg,  freeze  to  a  depth  of 
five  or  six  feet  in  winter. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Sailing  Northward.  —  Chinese  Labor.  —  Unexplored  Islands. — 
The  Alexander  Archipelago.  —  Rich  Virgin  Soil.  —  Fish  Can- 
ning.—  Myriads  of  Salmon. —  Native  Villages. — Reckless 
Habits.  —  Awkward  Fashions  and  their  Origin.  —  Tattooing 
Young  Girls. —  Peculiar  Effect  of  Inland  Pa&sages.  —  Moun- 
tain Echoes.  —  Moonlight  and  Midnight  on  the  Sea. 

Let  us  observe  more  order  in  these  notes,  and 
resume  the  course  of  our  experiences  in  consecu- 
tive form. 

As  we  speed  on  our  sinuous  course  northward, 
inhaling  with  delight  the  pure  and  bahny  atmos- 
phere, beai-ing  always  a  little  westerly,  winding 
through  narrow  channels  which  divide  the  richly 
wooded  wilderness  of  islands,  avoiding  here  and 
there  the  ambuscaded  reefs,  the  pleasurable  sen- 
sation is  intense.  The  scenery,  while  in  some 
respects  similar  to  that  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River 
and  the  Hudson  of  New  York,  is  yet  infinitely  su- 
perior to  either.  After  having  reached  latitude 
54"  40'  we  come  upon  Dixon  Entrance,  a  reach 
of  the  sea  which  separates  Alaska  from  British 
Columbia,  and  from  this  point  we  are  sailing  ex- 
clusively in  the  purple  shadow  of  our  own  shore, 
and  in  the  watei's  of  the  United  States.  At  times 
we  pass  islands  as  laige  as  the  State  of  Massachu- 
setts, whose  picturesque  and  irregular  mountain- 
ous surfaces  are  covered  with  immemorial  trees, 


NATURE  ALONE  ANTIQUE.  187 

and  whose  unknown  interiors  are  believed  to  be 
rich  in  coal,  iron,  silver,  and  other  metals.  The 
axe  has  never  echoed  in  the  deep  shade  of  these 
dense  plantations  of  nature  ;  they  form  a  pathless 
wilderness,  solemn  and  silent,  save  for  the  stealthy 
ti"ead  of  wild  beasts,  the  mournful  music  of  wav- 
ing pines,  and  the  occasional  notes  of  wandering 
seabirds.  Tlie  migratory  flocks  of  the  tropics  as 
a  rule  go  farther  north  to  raise  their  broods,  but  a 
few,  weary  of  wing,  shorten  their  aerial  journey 
and  build  nests  on  these  islands.  For  many  cen- 
tui'ies  past  the  great  columnar  trees  have  grown 
to  mammoth  size,  and  have  then  fallen  only  by 
the  weight  of  years,  enriching  the  ground  with 
their  decayed  substance  and  giving  place  to 
another  similar  growth,  which,  in  its  turn,  has 
also  flourished  and  passed  away.  How  like  the 
course  of  human  races  !  This  process  has  been 
going  on  perhaps  for  twice  ten  thousand  years. 
"  Nature  alone  is  antique,"  says  Carlyle.  The 
past  history  of  Alaska,  except  for  a  comparatively 
short  period,  is  a  blank  to  the  people  of  the  nine- 
teenth century. 

Day  after  day  there  is  a  continuous  and  un- 
broken chain  of  mountain  scenery.  On  the  right 
of  our  course  is  a  broad  strip  of  the  mainland,  an 
Alpine  region,  thirty  miles  in  width,  which  forms 
a  part  of  southern  Alaska,  bounded  on  the  east  by 
British  Columbia,  and  on  the  west  by  the  many 
spacious  islands,  which  create  so  perfect  a  break- 
water that  the  constant  swell  of  the  contiguous 
ocean  is  not  felt.    Some  of  these  islands  lie  within 


188  THE   NEW  ELDORADO. 

a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  each  other,  on  either  side 
of  our  way,  and  yet  the  water  is  far  too  deep  to 
admit  of  anchoring,  the  peaks  rising  abruptly 
from  unknown  depths  to  thousands  of  feet  above 
the  sea.  The  channels  seem  still  more  narrow 
from  the  great  height  of  the  mountains  which  line 
the  course.  The  eye  catches  with  delight  the 
bright  ribbons  of  waterfalls  tumbling  down  their 
sides,  in  gleeful  uproar,  foaming  and  sparkling  to- 
wards the  depths  below.  These  are  fed  by  melt- 
ing snow  and  hidden  lakes  far  up  in  the  cloud- 
screened  summits.  Some  of  these  waterfalls, 
narrow  and  swift,  leap  from  point  to  point,  now 
forming  small  cascades,  and  now  continuing  in  a 
perpendicular  form  like  a  column  of  crystal. 
Others,  so  abrupt  and  precipitous  are  the  heights 
from  which  they  are  launched,  fall  in  an  unbroken 
stream,  clinging  to  the  cliffs  at  first,  but  quickly 
expanding  into  a  thin  sheet  rivaling  the  Bridal 
Veil  of  the  Yosemite,  and  reaching  the  base  in  a 
constant  gauzelike  spray. 

The  wide,  open  tracks  seen  now  and  then  on 
the  steep,  thickly-wooded  mountain  sides,  reaching 
from  high  up  to  the  snow-line  down  to  the  very 
surface  of  the  water,  are  the  pathways  swept  by 
giant  avalanches.  What  immense  power  and 
lightning-like  speed  are  suggested  by  the  broad, 
clean  swath  that  is  left !  The  wind  caused  by 
the  rushing  avalanches  is  almost  equally  resist- 
less, the  trees  on  either  side  of  the  track  being 
torn  into  splinters  by  it. 

Now  and   again,  above  the  tops  of   the  giant 


THE  ALEXANDER  ARCHIPELAGO.         189 

pines,  one  can  see  moving  objects  on  the  exposed 
peaks  and  cliffs,  almost  too  far  away  and  too 
small  for  identification,  but  we  know  them  to  be 
wild  mountain  goats, — the  Alaskan  chamois, — 
quite  safe  from  the  hunters  in  these  perilous 
heights,  never  trod  by  the  foot  of  man.  The  ten- 
der glow  of  twilight  enshrouding  mountain  peaks, 
emerald  isles,  and  the  gently  throbbing  bosom  of 
the  sea,  added  daily  a  witching  charm  to  a  scene 
which  already  seemed  perfect  in  beauty. 

The  principal  island  group  lying  off  the  shore 
of  southwestern  Alaska  is  named  the  Alexander 
Archipelago,  in  honor  of  the  Tzar  of  Russia.  It  ex- 
tends about  three  hundred  miles  north  and  south, 
and  is  seventy-five  miles  from  east  to  west,  em- 
bracing over  eleven  hundred  islands,  scarcely  one 
of  which  has  been  explored.  The  group  reaches 
from  Dixon  Entrance  to  Cross  Sound,  in  latitude 
68°  25'  north.  Upon  landing  at  one  of  these 
islands  it  was  found  to  be  covered  by  an  impervi- 
ous forest ;  the  mass  of  timber  and  undergrowth 
was  so  compact  as  to  defy  oiu*  progress.  The  tan- 
gle of  bushes,  roots,  vines,  and  branches  formed 
almost  as  impenetrable  a  wall  as  though  built  of 
masonry.  The  wildest  jungles  of  India  are  not 
more  dense.  Where  not  covered  and  hidden  by 
trees,  the  earth  was  flecked  here  and  there  by 
the  sun,  being  carpeted  with  moss  and  ferns  so 
thickly  spread  as  to  form  a  spongy  surface,  upon 
which  only  the  velvety  feet  of  small  wild  animals 
could  be  sustained.  A  human  pedestrian,  were 
he  to  attempt  to  pass  over  it,  would  sink  in  this 


190  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

vegetable  compound  knee- deep  at  every  step. 
There  are  no  paths  in  these  jungles ;  the  natives 
have  no  occasion  to  penetrate  them,  their  living 
comes  from  the  sea,  and  the  river  courses  are  their 
hunting  m-ounds. 

This  virgin  soil,  were  it  to  be  drained  and 
cleared  of  trees,  would  be  rich  beyond  calculation, 
while  the  climate  is  such  as  to  warrant  the  growth 
and  ripening  of  any  vegetation  which  will  thrive 
on  the  Atlantic  coast  north  of  Cliesapeake  Bay. 
One  who  has  not  seen  it  in  Alaska  knows  not 
what  rank  and  luxuriant  forest  undergrowth  is. 
No  tropical  islands  can  surpass  the  Alexander 
Archipelago  in  this  respect.  Thus  far  no  one  has 
come  to  this  region  with  the  idea  of  testing  its 
availability  for  agricultural  purposes;  it  is  other 
business  which  has  attracted  them.  Nothing  of 
any  account  has  ever  been  done  in  the  way  of 
stock-raising,  though  the  winters  of  southern  Alas- 
ka, of  Kodiak,  and  the  Aleutian  Islands  are  much 
milder  than  are  those  of  Wyoming  or  northern 
Dakota,  and  there  is  plenty  of  food  for  innumera- 
ble herds  all  the  year  round.  If  government  will 
but  give  the  Territory  of  Alaska  proper  land  laws, 
this  region  will  promptly  invite  emigration,  and 
be  rapidly  peopled  by  thrifty  stock-growers. 

As  we  increase  our  northern  latitude  forests  of 
tall  cedars,  spruce,  and  hemlock  still  line  the 
shore  of  the  mainland,  and  cover  the  countless 
islands  with  a  mantle  of  softest  green.  It  is  not 
surprising  that  artists  become  enthusiastic  over 
the  infinite  variety  of  shades  found  in  these  ver- 


FISH-CANNING.  191 

dant  woods,  an  effect  which  we  have  never  seen 
excelled  even  in  equatorial  regions.  Gliding  over 
the  still,  deep,  pellucid  surface  of  the  ocean,  we 
behold  these  cliffs,  forests,  and  mountains,  with 
coronets  of  snow  reflected  therein,  as  though  there 
was  another  world  below,  like  that  above  the  rose- 
tinted  sea.  One  finds  almost  exactly  repeated 
here  the  bold,  towering  peaks,  and  low-lying  rocky 
isles  of  the  Lofoden  group  in  the  far  North  Sea 
of  the  opposite  hemisphere,  whose  sharp,  jagged 
pinnacles  have  been  aptly  compared  to  shark's 
teeth. 

Near  Cape  Fox,  on  the  mainland,  there  are  two 
large  fish-canning  establishments,  where  salmon 
are  packed  in  one  pound  tin  cases  for  shipment 
to  distant  markets,  and  in  which  a  few  Chinamen 
are  employed.  Some  Indian  women  also  find 
occupation  in  the  establishment,  while  their  hus- 
bands capture  and  bring  in  the  fish  in  large  quan- 
tities. This  is  a  rapidly  growing  and  profitable 
business  in  this  region,  there  being  already  forty 
or  fifty  such  factories  along  the  coast  and  among 
the  islands  north  of  Cape  Fox. 

Kasa-an  Bay  makes  into  Prince  of  Wales  Isl- 
and twenty  miles,  more  or  less,  from  Clarence 
Strait.  Here  tl.ere  are  several  villages  of  Kasa-an 
Indians.  No  spot  on  the  coast  is  more  famous  for 
the  abundance  and  excellence  of  its  salmon  ;  at 
certain  seasons  the  waters  of  the  bay  swarm  with 
them.  Here  is  a  large  cannery,  or  fish-packing 
station,  where  native  women  do  most  of  the  indoor 
work.     Two  thousand   barrels  of   salted  salmon 


192  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

were  shipped  from  this  bay  last  year.  This  was 
independent  of  those  used  in  canning.  There 
would  seem  to  be  no  limit  to  the  expansion  of  an 
industry  that  can  furnish  such  desirable,  every  way 
wholesome,  and  nutritious  food  to  be  sold  in  all 
parts  of  the  world. 

The  North  Pacific  Trading  and  Packing  Com- 
pany of  San  Francisco  has  been  doing  a  profitable 
business  on  the  coast  for  many  years.  In  spite  of 
government  neglect,  commerce  is  steadily  increas- 
ing and  developing  Alaska  ;  it  invades  all  zones, 
proving  the  greatest  of  civilizing  agencies.  Not 
only  is  it  the  equalizer  of  the  wealth,  but  also  of 
the  intelligence,  of  nations,  and  this  one  branch 
alone  is  gradually  populating  whole  districts. 
When  the  active  packing  season  is  over  there  is 
still  profitable  employment  for  all.  Some  are  oc- 
cupied in  making  the  tin  cans  to  hold  one  pound 
each  ;  others  are  taught  to  become  coopers,  fur- 
nishing the  casks  for  shipping  such  fish  as  are 
split,  salted,  and  exported  in  that  form  ;  while  oth- 
ers arc  occupied  in  making  pine-wood  boxes  to 
contain  two  dozen  each  of  the  filled  cans.  Thus  a 
well-conducted  fish-packing  establishment  employs 
many  people,  and  presents  a  busy  scene  all  the 
year  round. 

The  salmon  are  so  plenty  in  the  regular  season 
that  an  Indian  will  sometimes  deliver  at  the  can- 
ning factory  three  or  four  canoe-loads  in  a  single 
day.  They  are  mostly  caught  by  net  or  seine,  but 
often  during  the  height  of  the  season  the  natives 
absolutely  shovel  the  salmon  out  of  the  water  and 


BEARS.  193 

on  to  the  shore  with  their  paddle  blades.  We 
were  told  that  as  many  as  three  thousand  salmon, 
and  even  more,  are  sometimes  taken  at  a  single 
haul  of  the  seine;  also  that  fish  of  this  species 
weighing  from  twenty  to  thirty  pounds  were  com- 
mon here.  Great  numbers  are  discarded  at  the 
factories  because  they  do  not  prove  to  be  of  the 
high  pink  color  which  is  required  hy  the  purchas- 
ers and  consumers.  It  seems  that  the  bears  know 
very  well  when  the  run  of  salmon  commences,  and 
that  there  are  certain  quiet  inlets  where  the  fish 
are  sure  to  get  crowded  and  jammed,  so  that  Bruin 
has  only  to  reach  out  his  paws  and  di^aw  one  after 
another  on  to  the  shore  and  eat  until  he  has  his  fill. 
The  bear-paths  leading  to  these  spots  are  strongly 
marked,  and  the  animals  are  thus  easily  tracked 
and  shot  by  the  hunters.  It  is  the  white  men  who 
capture  them  most  generally,  as  the  natives  have 
some  mysterious  reverence  and  fear  combined  re- 
gai-ding  this  animal.  They  do  hunt  them,  how- 
ever, but  shrive  themselves  of  all  sense  of  wrong 
by  going  through  some  mystic  rites.  Mr.  Cliarh'S 
Hallock  says  :  "  There  are  bears  enough  in  AJaska, 
giizzly,  cinnamon,  and  black,  to  furnish  every  man 
on  the  Pacific  with  a  cap  and  overcoat,  and  leave 
breeding  stock  enough  for  next  year's  supj)ly." 
The  grizzly  bear  is  a  dangerous  animal  to  encoun- 
ter single-handed.  A  bullet  seems  to  have  no 
more  effect  upon  him,  unless  it  strikes  a  vital  spot, 
than  it  does  upon  an  elephant.  It  is  necessary  to 
use  guns  of  large  calibre  when  hunting  the  animal, 
and  the  whites  rarely  seek  them  unless  several 
tried  men  band  together  for  the  purpose. 


194  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

From  time  to  time  small  native  villages  are  seen 
on  the  islands  and  the  mainland,  all  typical  of  the 
people,  and  quite  picturesque  in  their  dirtiness  and 
peculiar  construction.  Some  of  their  cabins  are 
built  of  boards,  but  mostly  they  are  rude,  bark- 
covered  logs.  In  front  of  these  dwellings  stand  to- 
tem-poles, presenting  hideous  faces  carved  upon 
them  in  bold  relief,  together  with  uncouth  figures 
of  birds,  beasts,  and  fishes.  A  portion  of  these 
tall  posts  are  weather-beaten  and  neglected,  signifi- 
cantly tottering  on  their  foundations,  green  with 
mould,  unconsciously  foreshadowing  the  fate  of 
the  aboriginal  race.  Groups  of  natives  in  bright- 
colored  blankets,  with  scarlet  and  yellow  handker- 
chiefs on  their  heads,  come  into  view,  watching  us 
curiously  as  we  glide  over  the  smooth  water,  while 
bevies  of  half-naked  children  are  seen  shifting 
hither  and  tliither  in  clamorous  excitement.  What 
wonderfully  bright,  black  eyes  these  children 
have !  Some  of  the  women  are  gathering  kelp, 
for  the  shores  are  lined  with  edible  algse,  posses- 
sing not  only  fine  nutritious  qualities,  but  being 
also  a. recognized  tonic,  with  excellent  medicinal 
properties.  This  sea-product  is  collected  in  the 
most  favorable  season  of  the  year,  and  after  being 
pressed  into  convenient  sized  and  esculent  cakes 
is  stored  for  future  use.  The  native  liamlets  are 
always  built  near  to  the  shore,  aceessibility  to  the 
water  being  the  first  consideration,  because  from 
that  source  comt'S  nine  tenths  of  their  subsistence. 
To  clear  the  forest  and  secure  open  fields  presup- 
poses more  thrift  and  application  than  these  na- 


AWKWARD  FASHIONS.  195 

tives  possess  ;  but  it  would  unveil  some  of  the 
richest  soil  in  the  world.  These  Alaskans  have 
no  idea  of  sewerage,  or  the  proper  disposal  of  do- 
mestic refuse.  All  accumulations  of  this  sort  are 
thrown  just  outside  the  doors  of  their  dwellings, 
to  the  right  and  left,  anywhere  in  fact  which  is 
handiest.  The  stench  which  surrounds  their  cab- 
ins, under  these  circumstances,  is  almost  unbeara- 
ble by  civilized  people,  and  must  be  very  unwhole- 
some. These  natives  have  broad  faces,  small, 
pig-like  eyes,  and  high  cheek  bones,  not  very  nice 
to  look  upon,  yet  not  without  a  certain  expression 
of  real  intelligence  gleaming  through  the  accumu- 
lated dirt. 

"  What  is  needed  here,"  said  a  humorous  ob- 
server to  us,  "  is  the  mission  teacher  with  his 
Bible,  spelling-book,  and  —  soap  !  " 

The  women  cut  their  hair  short  on  the  fore- 
head, nearly  even  with  the  eyebrows,  causing  one 
to  surmise  that  these  Thlinkits  —  a  generic  name 
given  to  the  tribes  in  this  vicinity  —  must  have 
set  the  fashion  of  "  banging  "  the  hair,  which  is  so 
popular  among  civilized  belles.  Just  so  the  Japa- 
nese women  originated  the  hideous  fashion  of  the 
"  bustle."  The  author  saw  this  awkward  and  un- 
becoming appendage  worn  upon  the  backs  of  the 
women  of  Yokohama,  Tokio,  and  Nagasaki  three 
years  before  it  appeared  upon  the  streets  of  Bos- 
ton and  New  York.  And  now  we  hear  of  the 
"  clinging  "  style  of  drapery,  in  which  underskirts 
even  are  discarded,  called  the  Grecian  or  classic 
style.   Alas !  will  nothing  but  extremes  satisfy  the 


196  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

importunate  demands  of  fashion  ?  Heaven  send 
that  we  do  not  import  another  fashion  from  Alaska 
or  the  South  Seas,  namely  tattooing.  It  is  quite 
common  here,  among  young  girls  of  about  twelve 
years  of  age,  whose  cheeks  and  chins  are  often 
thus  disfigured  by  irregular  lines.  The  more  the 
natives  associate  with  the  whites,  however,  the 
moi-e  rarely  this  tattooing  is  resorted  to,  and  it  may 
be  said,  as  a  fashion,  to  be  going  out  in  Alaska, 
though  it  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  most  widely 
diffused  practices  of  savage  life,  from  the  Arctic 
to  the  Antarctic  circle. 

The  Alaskans  have  an  original  way  of  produ- 
cing this  indelible  marking,  the  color  being  fixed 
by  drawing  a  thread  under  the  skin,  whereas  the 
usual  mode  among  various  savages  is  by  pricking 
it  in  with  a  needle.  The  favorite  colors  are  red 
and  blue.  We  were  told  that  common  women 
were  permitted  to  adorn  their  chins  with  but  one 
vertical  line  in  the  centre,  and  one  parallel  to  it 
on  either  side,  while  a  woman  of  the  better  or 
wealthier  class  is  allowed  two  vertical  lines  from 
each  corner  of  the  mouth.  The  New  Zealand 
Maori  women  tattoo  their  chins  in  a  very  similar 
manner,  keeping  the  rest  of  the  face  in  a  natural 
condition. 

We  had  threaded  the  intricate  labyrinth  of 
islands,  bays,  and  channels,  guarded  by  miles  upon 
miles  of  sentinel  peaks,  nearly  all  day,  on  one  oc- 
casion, under  a  depressing  fog  and  rain,  when  sud- 
denly a  bold  headland  was  rounded,  which  had 
seemed  for  hours  to  completely  bar  our  way,  and 


MOUNTAIN  ECHOES.  197 

we  passed  out  from  under  the  shadow  of  the 
frowning  cliffs  and  the  gloom  of  the  dark  fathom- 
less waters  just  as  the  sun  burst  forth,  warm, 
bright,  and  resistless,  while  the  view  expanded 
before  us  nearly'  to  the  horizon.  The  mist,  like 
shrouded  ghosts,  stole  silently  away,  vanishing 
behind  the  rocks  and  cliffs.  Every  dewy  drop 
of  moisture,  on  ship  and  shore,  glittered  like  dia- 
monds in  the  dazzling  rays  of  the  new-born  light, 
changing  the  verdant  islands  into  a  glory  of 
color,  and  the  whole  view  to  one  of  majestic  love- 
liness, through  which  we  glided  as  smoothly  as 
though  in  a  gondola  upon  the  Grand  Canal  at 
Venice. 

When  approaching  a  landing  or  anchorage,  a 
signal  gun  is  fired  from  the  forecastle  of  the  ship, 
creating  a  series  of  echoes  deep,  sonorous,  and 
startling,  but  especially  remarkable  for  the  num- 
ber of  times  tlie  sound  is  repeated.  One  single 
gun  becomes  multiplied  to  a  whole  broadside. 
The  report  is  taken  up  again  and  again  by  other 
localities,  and  thus  is  conveyed  for  miles  away, 
finally  sinking  to  a  whisper,  as  it  were,  among  the 
foot-hills  of  the  giant  elevations. 

The  most  impressive  scenes  realized  by  the  trav- 
eler are  those  of  moonlight  and  midnight.  How  a 
love  of  the  stars  and  the  sea  grows  upon  one,  and 
life  has  so  few  moments  of  perfect  contentment ! 
What  melody  and  magic  permeate  the  pure, 
placid  atmosphei-e,  bounded  by  the  sapphire  sea 
and  the  azure  sky  !  How  tender  and  beautiful  is 
the  utter  stillness  of  the  hour!     Such  scenes  of 


198  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

gladness  make  the  heart  almost  afraid,  —  afraid 
lest  there  should  be  some  keen  sorrow  lurking  in 
ambush  to  awaken  us  from  pleasant  dreams  to 
the  stern,  disenchanting  experiences  of  real  life. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Alaskan's  Habit  of  Gambling.  —  Extraordinary  Domestic 
Carvings.  —  Silver  Bracelets,  —  Prevailing  Superstitions.  — 
Disposal  of  the  Dead.  —  The  Native  "  Potlatch." — Canni- 
balism.—  Ambitions  of  Preferment.  —  Human  Sacrifices. — 
The  Tribes  slowly  decreasing  in  Numbers.  —  Influence  of  the 
Women.  —  Witchcraft.  —  Fetich  Worship.  —  The  Native  Ca- 
noes. —  Eskimo  Skin  Boats. 

The  aborigines  of  Alaska  are  slow  in  their 
movements,  and  in  this  respect  resemble  the  Lapps 
of  Scandinavia,  having  also  a  drawling  manner  of 
speech  entirely  in  consonance  with  their  bodily 
movements.  They  are  as  inveterate  gamblers  as 
the  Chinese,  often  passing  whole  days  and  nights 
absorbed  in  the  occupation,  the  result  of  which  is 
in  no  way  contingent  upon  intelligence  or  skill, 
until  finally  one  of  the  party  walks  off  winner  of 
all  the  stakes.  Their  principal  gambling  game  is 
played  with  a  handful  of  small  sticks  of  different 
colors,  which  are  called  by  various  names,  such 
as  the  crab,  the  whale,  the  duck,  and  so  on.  The 
player  shuffles  all  the  sticks  together,  then  count- 
ing out  a  certain  number  he  places  them  under 
cover  of  bunches  of  moss.  The  object  seems  to 
be  to  guess  in  which  pile  is  the  whale,  and  in 
which  the  crab,  or  the  duck.  Individuals  often 
lose  at  this  seemingly  trifling  game  all  their 
worldly  possessions.     We  were  told  of  instances 


200  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

where,  spurred  on  by  excitement,  a  native  risks 
his  wife  and  children,  and  if  he  loses,  they  be- 
come the  recognized  property  of  the  winner,  nor 
would  any  one  think  of  interfering  with  such  a 
settlement.  These  extreme  cases,  of  course,  are 
rare. 

It  is  impossible  to  see  the  aborigines  eagerly 
absorbed  in  the  game  without  recalling  Dr.  John- 
son's characteristic  definition  of  gambling,  namely, 
"  A  mode  of  transferring  property  without  pro- 
ducing any  intermediate  good." 

Inside  of  the  rude  native  houses  one  finds  many 
hideous  carvings,  representing  impossible  animals 
and  strange  objects  of  all  sorts,  after  the  style  of 
the  totem-poles,  of  which  we  shall  have  occasion 
to  speak.  Many  of  their  small  domestic  uten- 
sils are  made  from  the  horns  of  the  mountain 
goats,  and  are  also  curiously  carved  with  night- 
mare objects,  as  evil  to  look  upon  as  African 
idols.  Yet  some  of  these  articles  show  consider- 
able skill  and  infinite  patience  in  execution.  We 
have  seen  specimens  that  it  was  difficult  to  be- 
lieve were  executed  by  the  hand  of  an  uncultured 
savage.  Before  the  Russians  introduced  iron  and 
steel  knives,  the  aborigines  seem  to  have  carved 
only  with  copper  and  stone  im])lenients,  produ- 
cing remarkable  lesults  under  the  circumstanc(^s. 
The  young  women  wear  silver  bracelets,  pounded 
out  of  American  dollar  pieces,  some  of  which 
are  an  inch  broad,  and  are  covered  elaborately 
after  civilized  models,  others  bear  native  heraldic 
devices  of  birds,  beasts,  and  fishes,  which  are  said 


SUPERSTITIONS.  201 

to  represent  the  arms  of  the  wearer's  family,  it 
being  customary  for  each  tribe  and  person  to 
adopt  some  distinctive  seal  or  crest.  They  much 
prefer  silver  ornaments  to  those  of  gold  or  other 
material ;  though  they  are  not  slow  to  realize  in- 
trinsic values,  probably  they  choose  the  less  expen- 
sive metal  because  it  is  Alaska  fashion. 

In  spite  of  all  the  missionary  effort  which  is 
made  to  enlighten  these  natives,  they  are  still 
slaves  to  the  most  debasing  superstitions.  Scarcc- 
1}^  a  month  passes  in  which  the  civil  authorities  are 
not  called  upon  to  interfere  with  the  people  for 
cruelty.  We  were  told  of  one  instance  whicli  lately 
occurred  at  Juneau.  A  native  was  seriously  ill, 
and  the  medicine-man,  having  failed  to  relieve  him 
by  his  noisy  incantations,  charged  an  old  member 
of  the  tribe  with  having  bewitched  the  invalid. 
He  was  consequently  seized,  tied  up,  and  whipped 
until  nearly  insensible,  being  left  for  three  days 
without  food.  By  chance  the  authorities  heard  of 
the  case  and  released  the  old  man.  The  two  prin- 
cipal natives  who  had  been  guilty  of  the  maltreat- 
ment were  tried  and  fined  twenty  dollars  each. 
The  very  next  day  the  old  man  was  missing,  and 
it  was  found  that  he  had  again  been  tied  up  and 
whipped.  The  two  culprits  admitted  repeating 
their  cruelty,  saying  they  had  paid  for  the  right 
to  whip  out  the  witch  from  the  old  man,  and  it 
must  be  done  before  the  invalid  would  recover. 
These  ignorant  creatures  entertained  no  malice  to- 
wards the  old  native  ;  it  was  only  a  matter  of  duty, 
as  the}'  thought,  to  exorcise  the   evil   one   which 


202  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

had  possessed  tlie  invalid.  This  is  a  fair  sample 
of  the  superstition  of  the  average  Alaskans. 

When  a  member  of  the  family  dies,  the  body  is 
not  removed  for  final  disposal  by  the  door  which 
the  living  are  accustomed  to  use,  but  a  plank  is 
torn  from  the  side  or  back  of  the  dwelling,  through 
which  the  corpse  is  passed,  after  which  the  place 
is  at  once  carefully  made  whole.  This,  they  say, 
is  to  prevent  the  spirit  of  the  defunct  from  find- 
ing its  way  back  again,  and  thus  bringing  ill  luck 
upon  the  living.  A  still  more  superstitious  and 
savage  custom  prevails  among  some  of  these  igno- 
rant natives. 

If  a  person  dies  in  a  cabin,  it  is  held  that  the 
place  becomes  sacied  to  his  spirit,  and  there- 
fore is  unfit  for  the  living.  To  avoid  this  diffi- 
culty the  dying  are  passed  out  of  the  domicile 
through  st)me  temporary  hole  into  the  open  air  to 
breathe  their  last,  so  that  neither  the  house  nor 
the  threshold  may  be  sacrificed  to  the  spirit  of 
the  dead.  Slaves,  besides  poor  widows  and  or- 
phans, when  they  die,  are  often  disposed  of  in 
the  most  summary  and  unfeeling  manner,  being 
exposed  in  the  woods,  or  cast  into  the  sea  as 
food  for  the  fishes.  In  this  connection  we  re- 
member that  the  highly  civilized  and  rich  Par- 
sees  of  Bombay  do  not  hesitate  to  give  the  dead 
bodies  of  their  cherished  ones  to  the  vultures,  in 
those  terrible  Towers  of  Silence  on  Malabar  Hill. 

The  ceremonies  which  follow  all  funerals  among 
these  aborigines  are  peculiar  affairs,  and  for  the 
carrying  out  of  which  each  person  saves  more  or 


FUNERAL  CUSTOMS.  203 

less  of  his  worldly  effects  to  leave  after  death.  As 
soon  as  the  body  of  the  deceased  is  disposed  of, 
then  commences  what  is  here  culled  a  "potlatch," 
signifying  a  "  big  feast,"  conducted  very  much 
atter  the  style  of  the  New  Zealanders  on  a  similar 
occasion.  Everybody  is  invited  and  a  free  spread 
or  feast  provided,  the  same  being  kept  up  for  sev- 
eral days  and  nights,  so  long,  indeed,  as  the  pur- 
ciiasing  power  lasts.  Whiskey  is  freely  dispensed, 
when  it  can  be  had,  but  if  not  obtainable,  as  it 
is  a  contraband  article,  then  "hoochenoo,"  made 
from  flour  and  molasses  well  fermented,  takes  its 
place,  being  equally  intoxicating  and  nuiddening. 
Dancing,  wailing,  singing,  fighting,  and  grave  in- 
decencies follow  each  other,  until  the  means  to 
keep  up  the  potlatch  left  by  the  deceased  are  ex- 
hausted, and  his  surviving  family  oftentimes  im- 
poverished. 

Cremation  is  the  Thlinkit's  favorite  mode  of 
disposing  of  his  dead.  The  bodies  of  slaves  and 
"witches"  are  disposed  of  with  great  secrecy. 
They  are  not  considered  worth  burial,  and  are 
sometimes  cast  into  the  sea,  but  water  burial  is 
infrequent.  The  bodies  of  chiefs  lie  in  state  sev- 
eral days ;  the  people  observe  certain  rites  ;  then 
the  body  is  cremated  and  the  ashes  are  encased  in 
the  base  of  a  totem  erected  to  his  memory.  Sha- 
mans (doctors)  are  never  cremated.  After  lying 
in  state  four  days,  one  day  in  each  corner  of  the 
cabin,  the  body  is  taken  out  of  the  house  through 
the  smokestack,  or  some  opening  other  than  the 
door,  and  conveyed  some  distance  to  a  deadhouse 


204  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

built  for  this  particular  occupant.  There  in  its 
last  resting-place  the  body  is  seated  in  an  upright 
position.  The  pHrapheriuilia  of  his  rank  and  office, 
some  blankets  and  household  effects  to  add  to  his 
comfort  in  the  spirit-land,  are  entombed  with  the 
remains. 

Another  occasion  for  indulging  in  the  potlatch 
is  when  some  one  is  desirous  of  securing  extraor- 
dinary influence  in  his  tribe,  generally  a  chief 
seeking  to  establish  superior  position  or  popular- 
ity over  some  rival.  Natives  have  been  known  to 
save  their  means  for  years,  augmenting  them  by 
industry  and  self-denial,  in  order  finally  to  give 
a  grand  and  unequaled  feast  of  this  character. 
When  the  time  arrives  not  only  are  all  the  host's 
own  tribe  invited,  but  those  of  the  next  nearest 
tribes  not  akin  to  his  own.  Such  a  festival  often 
lasts  for  a  whole  week,  nntil  the  last  blanket  of 
the  giver  is  sacrificed.  These  strange  festivals, 
we  were  told,  are  fast  passing  into  disuse,  at  least 
among  those  tribes  brought  most  in  contact  with 
the  whites,  though  on  a  smaller  scale  they  do  still 
exist  all  over  the  southern  region  of  Alaska. 

There  is,  perhaps,  no  positive  evidence  that  can- 
nibalism ever  prevailed  among  the  Indians  of  this 
region,  yet  it  is  gravely  hinted  that  it  did  on  the 
occasion  of  these  funeral  {)Otlatches  years  ago.  To 
sacrifice  the  life  of  one  or  more  of  the  slaves  of 
the  deceased  we  know  was  common,  and  if  their 
bodies  were  not  barbecued  and  eaten,  then  these 
natives  of  the  North  Pacific  were  entirely  differ- 
ent in  this  respect  from   those  who  lived  in  the 


DECAY  OF  THE  RACES.  205 

South  Pacific.  The  medicine-men,  even  to-day, 
devour  portions  of  corpses,  believing  that  they  ac- 
quire control  of  the  spirit  of  the  deceased  thereby, 
and  gain  influence  over  demon  spirits  in  the  other 
sphere.  Such  pnictices  are,  however,  rare,  though 
Mr.  Duncan  of  Metla-katla  tells  us  he  has  wit- 
nessed the  repulsive  performance.  The  places  near 
each  hamlet  where  the  dead  are  finally  placed 
often  number  many  more  gi'aves,  or  square  boxes 
containing  the  bodies,  than  theie  are  present  in- 
habitants in  the  settlement.  All  this  region  was 
formerly  many  times  more  populous  than  it  is  to- 
day. Here,  as  in  Africa,  New  Zealand,  Califor- 
nia, and  Australia,  where  the  white  man  appears 
permanently,  the  black  man  slowly  but  surely 
vanishes.  The  progress  of  civilization,  as  we  call 
it,  is  fatal  to  native,  savage  races  all  over  the 
world.  Catlin,  who  lived  among  and  wrote  so 
well  about  our  Western  Indians,  summed  up  the 
matter  thus  :  "  White  man  —  whiskey  —  toma- 
hawks —  scalping-knives  —  guns,  powder  and  ball 
—  smallpox,  debauchery  —  extermination."  But 
it  is  not  alone  gunpowder,  rum,  and  lasciviousness 
which  are  the  active  agents  to  this  end  ;  there  is 
also  a  subtle  influence  which  is  not  clearly  under- 
stood, and  which  it  is  difficult  to  define,  but  which 
is  as  potent,  if  not  more  so,  than  the  agencies 
above  suggested.  The  destiny  which  heaven  de- 
crees for  a  people  will  surely  come  to  them.  This 
has  been  clearly  exemplified  in  the  instance  of  the 
North  American  Indians,  as  well  as  among  the 
South  Sea   Islanders  in   Australia   and    the  Ha- 


206  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

waiian  Islands.  Of  an  entire  and  intelligent  peo- 
ple, the  aborigines  who  once  occupied  Tasmania, 
there  is  not  to-day  a  living  representative !  The 
land  is  solely  possessed  and  occupied  by  white 
Europeans,  before  whom  the  natives  have  steadily 
vanished  like  dew  before  the  sun. 

Mr.  Frederick  Whymper,  who  wrote  about  the 
Northwest  some  twenty  years  ago,  speaking  upon 
this  subject,  refers  to  the  experience  of  a  Mr. 
Sproat,  a  resident  of  the  region  near  Puget  Sound, 
who  employed  large  numbers  of  natives  as  well 
as  whites  in  manufacturing  lumber.  Mr.  Sproat 
conducted  his  large  business  and  the  place  where 
it  was  established  on  temperance  principles ;  no 
violence  or  oppression  of  any  sort  was  permitted 
towards  the  natives.  They  were  in  fact  better 
fed,  better  clothed,  and  better  taught  than  they 
had  ever  been  before.  It  was  only  after  a  con- 
siderable time  that  any  symptom  of  a  change 
was  observed  among  the  Indians.  By  and  by  a 
listlessness  seemed  to  creep  over  them,  and  they 
"brooded  over  silent  thoughts."  At  first  they 
were  surprised  and  bewildered  by  the  presence 
of  the  white  men,  and  the  machinery  and  steam 
vessels  which  they  brought  with  them.  They 
seemed  slowly  to  acquire  a  distrust  of  themselves, 
and  abandoned  their  old  practices  and  tribal  hab- 
its, until  at  last  it  was  discovered  that  a  higher 
death-rate  was  prevailing  among  them.  "No 
one  molested  them,"  says  Mr.  Sproat ;  "  they  had 
ample  sustenance  and  shelter  for  the  support  of 
life,  yet  the  people  decayed.     The  steady  bright- 


INFLUENCE   OF   THE   WOMEN.  207 

ness  of  civilized  life  seemed  to  dim  and  extin- 
guish the  flickering  light  of  savageism,  as  the 
rays  of  the  sun  put  out  a  common  fire." 

Upon  the  same  subject  and  people,  H.  W.  El- 
liott says  :  "  These  savages  were  created  for  the 
wild  surroundings  of  their  existence ;  expressly 
fitted  for  it,  and  they  live  happily  in  it ;  change 
the  order  of  their  life,  and  at  once  they  disappear, 
as  do  the  indigenous  herbs  and  game  before  the 
cultivation  of  the  soil  and  the  domestication  of 
animals."  We  shall  not  comment  upon  these 
remarks,  though  to  us  it  is  an  extremely  inter- 
esting subject  ;  the  reader  must  draw  his  own 
inference. 

The  men  of  these  native  tribes  are  strong  and 
vigorous  ;  the  women  are,  however,  forced  to  per- 
form most  of  the  domestic  labor,  and  all  of  the 
drudgery,  yet  it  was  observed  that  they  held  the 
purse  strings.  That  is  to  say,  a  native  buck  al- 
ways defers  to  his  wife  in  any  matter  of  trade  as 
to  the  price  either  to  ask  or  to  pay.  The  women 
of  Alaska  are  certainly  in  a  better  condition  and 
are  better  treated  than  those  belonging  to  any  of 
our  Western  Indian  tribes,  with  whom  we  are  ac- 
quainted. Though  they  are  called  upon  to  do 
much  menial  work,  they  do  not  seem  to  be  actu- 
ally abused.  The  male  Alaskan  performs  a  cer- 
tain liberal  share  of  domestic  duties,  but  not  so 
with  the  Indian  of  our  Western  reservations.  The 
latter  makes  his  wife  a  beast  of  burden.  They 
are  generally  clothed  in  the  garments  of  civiliza- 
tion, though  of  coarse  material  and  of  the  cheapest 


208  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

manufacture.  The  ready-made  clothing  store  has 
reached  even  the  islands  of  the  North  Pacific. 
Polygamy  is  common  among  the  aborigines,  chas- 
tity is  little  heeded,  and  young  girls  are  sold  b}' 
their  mothers  for  a  few  blankets,  she  and  not  the 
father  having  the  acknowledged  riglit  of  dispos- 
ing of  them.  Dr.  Sheldon  Jackson  writes  most 
feelingly  as  follows :  "  Despised  by  their  fathers, 
sold  by  their  motliers,  imposed  upon  by  their 
brothers,  and  ill-treated  by  their  husbands,  cast 
out  in  their  widowhood,  living  lives  of  toil  and  low 
sensual  pleasure,  untaught  and  uncared  for,  with 
no  true  enjoyment  in  this  world  and  no  hope  for 
the  world  to  come,  crushed  by  a  cruel  heathenism, 
it  is  no  wonder  that  many  of  them  end  their 
misery  and  wretchedness  by  suicide." 

It  was  found  on  inquiry  that  the  ratio  of  births 
among  the  Alaskan  shore  tribes  was  considerably 
greater  than  among  civilized  communities,  but  the 
death-rate  is,  on  the  other  hand,  excessive.  The 
wretched  ignorance  of  the  mothers  as  to  the  ob- 
servance of  the  simplest  sanitary  laws,  as  well  ;is 
the  gross  exposure  of  their  infants,  is  the  principal 
cause  of  this  needless  mortality. 

The  aborigines,  where  not  brought  in  contact 
with  the  government  schools  and  missionaries, 
still  retain  their  system  of  fetich  worship,  be- 
ing very  much  under  control  of  their  medicine- 
men, who  pretend  to  influence  the  demons  of  the 
spirit  world,  so  feared  by  the  average  savage. 
Their  moral  degradation  is  extreme,  and  their 
practices   in   too   many  instances   are  terrible  to 


NATIVE   CANOES.  209 

relate.  Slaves  are  sacrificed,  as  already  stated,  at 
the  owner's  death,  that  they  may  go  before  and 
prepare  for  his  arrival  in  the  future  state.  Vile 
witchcraft  is  still  believed  in  among  most  of  the 
tribes,  and  murderous  consequences  follow  in  many 
cases.  All  kinds  of  barbarity  are  inflicted  upon 
women,  children,  and  slaves.  We  are  told  by  Dr. 
Sheldon  Jackson  that  it  was  surprising  to  see  how 
quickly  these  savage  practices  yielded  to  the  power 
of  Christian  teachings,  and  how  rapidly  they  faded 
away  before  the  influence  of  association  with  a  few 
intelligent,  conscientious  white  teachers.  What 
these  people  need  is  education  and  Christian  influ- 
ence, which  will  work  a  great  and  rapid  reform 
among  them  in  a  single  generation. 

The  canoes  of  the  tribes  about  the  Alexander 
Archipelago  are  dug  out  of  well-chosen  cedar  logs, 
and  ai'e  given  the  really  fine  lines  for  which  they 
are  remarkable  by  means  of  hot  water  and  steam, 
together  with  the  use  of  cunningly  devised  braces 
and  clamps.  The  wood  being  once  thoroughly 
dried  in  the  desired  shape,  will  retain  it.  Wonder- 
ing how  the  exquisite  smoothness  was  produced  in 
forming  their  boats  without  a  carpenter's  plane,  it 
was  found  by  inquiry  that  the  natives  dry  the 
coarse  skin  of  the  dogfish  and  use  it  as  we  do 
sandpaper.  The  time  spent  upon  the  construction 
and  ornamentation  of  these  canoes  is  apparently 
of  no  consideration  to  the  native,  and  the  market 
value  of  the  best  will  average  one  hundred  dollars. 
It  is  the  Alaskan's  most  necessary  and  most  prized 
piece    of   property.      Some    which  we    saw   were 


210  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

eighty  feet  in  length,  and  capable  of  holding  one 
hundred  men.  It  must  be  remembei'ed  that  al- 
most the  entire  population  live  on  the  coast  or 
river  banks  in  a  country  where  there  are  no 
roads.  These  canoes  have  no  seats  in  them  ;  the 
rower  places  himself  on  the  bottom,  and  thus  situ- 
ated uses  his  paddles  with  great  dexterity.  They 
are  quite  unmanageable  by  a  white  man  who  is 
not  accustomed  to  them,  as  much  so  at  least  as  a 
birch  canoe,  such  as  the  Eastern  Indians  build  on 
the  coast  of  Maine.  But  the  Alaskan  boat  is  far 
superior  to  the  birch-bark  canoe  in  every  respect. 
We  saw  one  paddled  by  a  boy  at  Pyramid  Harbor, 
neat  and  new,  which  the  lad,  say  twelve  years  of 
age,  had  dug  out  of  a  spruce  log  with  his  own 
hands,  quite  unaided.  Its  lines  were  admirable, 
and  the  finish  was  excellent.  When  the  sun  beats 
down  upon  these  boats,  the  owner  splashes  water 
upon  the  sides  about  him  to  prevent  their  warp- 
ing, and  for  this  pui-pose  carries  a  thin  wooden 
scoop.  When  not  in  use  they  are  carefully  cov- 
ered up  to  shelter  them  from  the  sun's  rays.  Some 
tribes  use  a  double  paddle,  that  is,  an  oar  with  a 
blade  at  each  end,  which  they  dip  on  one  side  and 
the  other  alternately ;  other  tribes  use  the  single- 
bladed  paddle.  Each  one  of  the  males  among  the 
natives  has  his  canoe,  for  the  water  is  his  only 
highway,  and  without  his  boat  he  would  be  as 
helpless  as  one  of  our  Western  Indians  on  the  plains 
without  his  pony.  When  the  "dug-outs"  are 
drawn  up  upon  the  shore  in  scores,  they  present 
a  curimis  appearance,  packed  with  grass  and  cov- 


ESKIMO   SKIN  BOATS.  211 

ered  with  matting  to  keep  them  from  being 
cracked  and  warped  by  the  sun.  The  bows  and 
stern  of  many  of  them  are  elaborately  carved  to- 
tem-fashion, and  also  painted  in  strange  designs 
with  a  black  pigment.  The  fore  part  of  the  boat 
rises  with  an  upward  sheer,  and  is  higher  at  the 
prow  than  at  the  stern.  There  is  another  form  of 
boat  used  by  the  Eskimos  and  natives  of  the  out- 
lying islands,  being  a  simple  frame  of  wood,  cov- 
ered with  sea-lion  skin  from  which  the  hair  has 
been  removed.  These  boats  are  covered  over  the 
tops  as  well  as  the  bottoms,  being  almost  level 
with  the  sea,  leaving  only  a  hole  for  the  occupant 
to  sit  in,  thus  making  them  absolutely  water- 
tight, a  life-boat,  in  fact,  which  will  float  in  any 
water  so  long  as  they  will  hold  together.  The 
waves  may  dash  over  them  but  cannot  enter  them. 
These  skin-covered  boats,  admirably  adapted  to 
their  legitimate  purpose,  are  known  on  the  coast 
as  "  bidarkas,"  in  the  management  of  which  the 
natives  evince  great  skill,  making  long  journeys  in 
them,  and  braving  all  sorts  of  weather.  Like  the 
Madras  surf-boats,  no  nails  are  used  in  their  con- 
struction, either  in  the  skeleton  frame  or  in  put- 
ting on  the  covering,  the  several  parts  being 
lashed  and  sewed  together  in  the  most  artistic  fash- 
ion with  sinews  and  leather  thongs,  which  enables 
them  to  bear  a  greater  strain  than  if  they  were 
held  together  by  any  other  means.  The  thongs 
admit  of  a  certain  degree  of  flexibility  when  it  is 
required,  an  effect  which  cannot  be  got  with  nail 
fastenings. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Still  sailing  Northward.  —  Multitudes  of  Water-Fowls.  —  Native 
Graveyards.  —  Curious  Totem-Poles.  —  Tribal  and  Family 
Emblems  — Division  of  the  Tribes.  —  Whence  the  Race 
came.  —  A  Clew  to  their  Origin.  —  The  Northern  Eskimos.  — 
A  llemarkable  Museum  of  Aleutian  Antiquities.  —  Jade  Moun- 
tain.—  The  Art  of  Carving.  —  Long  Days.  —  Aborigines  of 
the  Yukon  Valley.  —  Their  Customs. 

Still  sailing  northward,  large  numbers  of  ebon- 
hued  cormorants  are  seen  feeding  on  the  low, 
kelp-coveied  rocks,  contrasting  with  the  snow}' 
whiteness  of  the  gulls.  Big  flocks  of  snipe,  ducks, 
and  other  aquatic  birds  line  the  water's  edge,  or 
rise  in  clouds  from  some  sheltered  nook  to  settle 
again  in  our  wake.  Higher  up  in  air  a  huge  bald- 
headed  eagle  is  in  sight  nearly  all  the  while,  as 
we  sail  along  the  winding  watercourse.  The 
eagles  of  Alaska,  unlike  those  of  other  sections  of 
the  globe,  are  not  a  solitary  bird,  but  congregate 
in  considerable  numbers,  and  residents  told  us 
they  had  seen  a  score  of  them  roosting  togetlier 
on  the  branches  of  the  same  tree,  but  we  must 
confess  to  never  having  seen  even  two  together. 
Elsewhere  the  eagle  is  certainly  a  bird  whose 
solitary  habits  are  one  of  its  marked  character- 
istics. We  observe  here  and  there  near  native 
villages,  more  square  boxes  and  totem-poles  indi- 
cating the  resting-places  of  the  dead.     Some  tribes 


AN  ALASKAN   GRAVEYARD.  213 

continue  to  burn  their  dead,  and  tliese  boxes  con- 
tain only  the  ashes,  but  the  missionai'ies  and  the 
whites  generally  have  so  opposed  the  idea  of 
cremation  that  many  of  the  natives  have  aban- 
doned it.  The  burial  above-ground  in  the  square 
boxes  referred  to  is  a  peculiar  idea.  These  coffins, 
if  they  may  be  so  called,  are  about  three  feet  and 
a  half  long  by  two  and  a  half  wide,  and  are  often 
elaborately  carved  and  painted  with  grotesque 
figures.  The  corpse  is  disjointed  and  doubled  up 
in  order  to  get  it  into  this  compass,  though  why 
this  is  done  when  a  longer  box  would  so  much 
simplify  matters,  no  one  seems  to  know.  We 
were  told  that  some  of  the  Alaskan  tribes  used 
to  place  their  dead  in  trees,  or  on  the  top  of  four 
raised  poles,  a  similar  practice  to  that  which  once 
prevailed  among  certain  tribes  of  our  Western 
Indians,  but  the  mode  just  described  is  that  which 
most  generally  prevails.  There  seems  to  be  some 
difference  of  opinion  as  regards  the  real  signifi- 
cance of  the  totem-poles.  They  appear  to  be  de- 
signed in  part  to  commemorate  certain  deeds  in 
the  lives  of  the  departed,  near  whose  grave  they 
are  reared,  as  well  as  to  indicate  the  family  arm.s 
of  those  for  whom  they  are  erected.  Thus,  on 
seeing  one  special  totem-post  surmounted  by  a 
wolf  carved  in  wood,  beneath  which  a  useless  gun 
was  lashed,  inquiry  was  made  as  to  its  signifi- 
cance, whereupon  we  were  told  that  the  deceased 
by  whose  grave  it  stood  had  been  killed  while 
hunting  wolves  in  the  forest.  This  was  certainly 
a  very  literal  Wiiy  of  recording  the  fate  of  the 
hunter^ 


214  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

Some  tribes  adopt  the  crow,  some  the  hawk, 
and  some  the  bear  or  the  whale,  as  their  distinc- 
tive tribal  emblem.  The  poles  are  carved  from 
bottom  to  top,  averaging  thirty  or  forty  feet  in 
height,  —  though  some  are  nearly  a  hundred  feet 
high,  —  and  from  three  to  four  feet  in  diameter, 
the  height  also  signifying  the  importance  of  the 
individual,  that  is,  his  social  grade  or  standing  in 
the  tribe.  Some  of  the  carvings  are  mythological, 
for  these  people  have  an  oral  mythology  of  the 
most  fabulous  character,  which  has  been  handed 
down  from  father  to  son  for  many  centuries. 
The  carvings  on  the  coffin-boxes,  though  often 
elaborate,  to  a  white  man's  eye  are  meaningless. 
As  we  have  said,  when  a  chief  dies,  some  valu- 
able personal  effects  are  always  deposited  with 
his  body  in  the  coffin,  and  one  would  suppose  that 
such  objects  were  safe  from  pilfering  fingers  of  even 
strangers ;  yet  these  articles  are  constantly  offered 
for  sale,  and  are  eagerly  purchased  by  curio-hunt- 
ers who  come  hither  from  various  parts  of  this 
country. 

The  aborigines  of  Alaska  are  divided  into  vari- 
ous sub-tribes,  such  as  Hooniahs,  Tongas,  Auks, 
Kasa-ans,  Haidas,  Sitkas,  Chinooks,  Chilcats,  and 
so  on. 

Ivan  Petrol?,  who  was  sent  by  the  United  States 
Government  to  Alaska  in  1880,  as  special  agent 
of  the  census,  divides  the  native  population  of  the 
Territory  as  follows  :  — 

First. — The  Innuit  or  Eskimo  race,  which 
predominates  in  numbers  and  covers  the  littoral 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  NATIVE  RACES.  215 

margin  of  all  Alaska  from  the  British  boundary 
on  the  Arctic  to  Norton  Sound,  the  Lower  Yukon, 
and  Kuskoquin,  Bristol  Bay,  the  Alaska  Penin- 
sula, Kodiak  Island,  mixing  in,  also,  at  Prince 
William  Sound. 

Second.  —  The  Indians  proper  spread  over 
the  vast  interior  in  the  north,  reaching  down  to 
the  seaboard  at  Cook's  Inlet  and  the  mouth  of  the 
Copper  River,  and  lining  the  coast  from  Mount 
St.  Elias  southward  to  the  boundary  and  peo- 
pling the  Alexander  Archipelago. 

Third.  —  The  Aleutian  race,  extending  from 
the  Shumagin  Islands  westward  to  Attoo,  —  the 
Ultima  Thule  of  this  country,  —  whom  Petroff 
terms  the  Christian  inhabitants.  These  last  cer- 
tainly conform  most  fully  to  all  the  outward  prac- 
tices of  civilization  and  universally  recognize  the 
Greek  Church. 

Whence  these  people  originally  came  is  a  ques- 
tion which  is  constantly  discussed,  but  which  is 
still  an  unsolved  problem.  Some  words  in  their 
language  seem  to  indicate  a  Japanese  origin,  and 
some  seem  clearly  to  be  derived  from  the  Aztec 
tongue  belonging  to  that  peculiar  people  of  the 
south.  Hon.  James  G.  Swain  of  Port  Town- 
send,  w^ho  has  given  years  of  study  to  the  subject 
of  ethnology  as  connected  with  the  tribes  of  the 
Northwest,  states  that  he  found  among  them  a 
tradition  of  the  Great  Spirit  similar  to  that  of  the 
Aztecs,  and  that  when  he  exhibited  to  members 
of  the  Haida  tribe  sketches  of  Aztec  carvings, 
they  at  once   recognized   and   understood   them. 


216  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

Copper  images  and  relics  found  in  their  possession 
were  identical  with  exhumed  relics  brought  from 
Guatemala.  These  are  certainly  very  significant 
facts,  if  not  convincing  ones.  The  Alaska  natives 
have  some  Apache  words  in  their  language,  which 
points  to  a  common  oiigin  with  our  North  Amer- 
ican Indian  tribes,  but  these  suggestions  are  purely 
speculative.  There  are  able  students  of  ethnol- 
ogy who  insist  upon  the  origin  of  these  Alaskans 
being  Asiatic  for  various  good  and  sufficient  rea- 
sons, instancing  not  only  their  personal  appear- 
ance, but  the  similarity  of  their  traditions  and  cus- 
toms to  those  of  the  people  of  Asia.  To  have 
come  thence  it  is  remembered  that  they  had  only 
to  cross  a  narrow  piece  of  water  forty  miles  wide. 
This  passage  is  frequently  made  in  our  times  by 
open  boats.  At  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  though 
in  so  northern  a  latitude,  the  strait  is  by  no  means 
rough.  Mr.  Seward  says:  "I  have  mingled 
freely  with  the  multifarious  population,  the  Ton- 
gas, the  Stickeens,  the  Kakes,  the  Haidas,  the  Sit- 
kas,  the  Kootnoos,  and  the  Chilcats.  Climate  and 
other  c-ii'cumstances  have  indeed  produced  some 
tlilTerences  of  manners  and  customs  between  the 
Aleuts,  the  Koloschians,  and  the  interior  conti- 
nental tribes,  but  all  of  them  are  manifestly  of 
Mongol  origin.  Although  they  have  preserved  no 
common  traditions,  all  alike  indulge  in  tastes, 
wear  a  physiognomy,  and  are  imbued  with  senti- 
ments peculiarly  noticed  in  China  and  Japan." 

The  Eskimos  proper  differ  but  little  from  the 
southern  and  inland  tribes  of  Alaska  generally ; 


JADE  MOUNTAIN.  217 

few  of  them  are  ever  seen  soutli  of  Norton  Sound 
or  the  mouths  of  the  Yukon.  Their  home  is  in  the 
Arctic  portion  of  the  Territorj',  bordering  the 
Frozen  Ocean  and  Behring  Strait.  It  is  obvious 
that  climatic  influences  create  among  them  diffei- 
ent  manners  and  customs,  causing  also  a  slightly 
different  physical  formation,  but  otherwise  they 
seem  to  be  of  the  same  race  as  the  people  of  the 
Alaska  Peninsula,  the  Aleutian  Islands,  or  indeed 
of  any  of  the  several  groups  and  of  the  mainland 
lying  to  the  south.  That  these  Eskimos  resemble 
physically  the  Norwegian  Lapps,  to  be  met  with 
at  about  the  same  latitude  in  the  eastern  hemi- 
sphere, is  very  obvious  to  one  who  has  carefully 
.observed  both  races  in  their  homes.  This  similai'- 
ity  extends  in  rather  a  remarkable  degree  also  to 
their  dress  as  well  as  domestic  habits. 

In  the  region  they  occupy,  near  the  source  of 
the  Kowak  River,  which  empties  into  Kotzebue 
Sound  by  several  mouths  after  a  course  of  two 
or  three  hundred  miles,  is  Jade  Mountain,  com-' 
posed,  as  far  as  is  known,  of  a  light  green  stone 
which  gives  it  the  name  it  bears.  An  exploring 
party  from  the  United  States  steamer  Corwin 
brought  away  one  or  two  hundred  pounds  of  the 
mineral  in  the  summer  of  1884.  The  hardness 
and  tenacity  of  these  specimens  are  said  to  have 
been  remarkable,  as  well  as  the  exquisite  polish 
which  they  exhibited  when  treated  by  the  lapi- 
dist.  Jade  Mountain  must  be  in  latitude  68° 
north,  between  two  and  three  hundred  miles  south 
of  the  Yukon  above  the  line  of  Behring  Strait. 


218  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

Yet  the  exploring  party  found  the  thermometer  to 
register  90°  Fah.  in  the  shade,  while  their  great- 
est annoyance  was  caused  by  the  mosquitoes.  The 
Kowak  abounds  in  sulmon,  pike,  and  white-fish. 
"  The  'color'  of  gold,"  says  the  printed  report  of 
the  expedition,  "  was  obtained  almost  everywhere." 
Nearly  eighty  species  of  birds  were  collected, 
tliough  the  party  were  absent  from  the  Corwin  but 
about  seven  weeks.  The  white  spruce  was  found 
to  be  the  largest  and  most  abundant  tree,  and  the 
inhabitants  all  Eskimos. 

The  remarkable  museum  of  ancient  arms, 
dresses,  wooden  and  skin  armor,  and  domestic 
utensils  exhibited  in  New  York  city  in  1868  by 
Mr.  Edward  G.  Fast,  and  which  was  collected  by. 
him  while  in  the  employment  of  our  government 
among  the  people  of  the  Northwest,  revealed  some 
very  important  facts  as  to  their  history.  The  col- 
lection proved  clearly  that  two  or  three  hundred 
years  ago  these  natives  of  Alaska  enjoyed  a  much 
higher  degree  of  civilization  than  is  exhibited  by 
their  descendants  to-day.  That  they  have  deteri- 
orated in  industry,  steadiness,  and  ability  generally 
is  obvious.  The  art  of  forging  must  have  been 
known  to  them  in  the  earlier  times,  as  shown  in 
this  collection  of  admirable  weapons,  clearly  of 
native  manufacture  and  of  most  excellent  finish. 
The  art  of  carving  was  possessed  by  them  in  far 
greater  perfection  than  they  exhibit  in  our  day, 
while  the  skillfully  made  dresses  of  tanned  leather 
worn  by  the  ancient  Aleuts  nearly  equal  those  in 
which  the  warriors  were  clad  who  accompanied 


THE  ESKIMOS.  219 

Cortez  and  Pizarro  when  they  landed  on  this  con- 
tinent. Mr.  Fast  was  singularly  fortunate  in  se- 
curing whole  suits  of  armor,  masks,  and  war  im- 
plements for  his  unique  museum  of  Alaskan 
antiquities.  In  association  with  Russians  and 
Americans  for  a  century,  more  or  less,  these  abo- 
rigines have  readily  adopted  the  vices  of  civiliza- 
tion, so  to  speak,  and  have  sacrificed  most  of  their 
own  better  qualities.  Indolence  generally  has 
taken  the  place  of  the  warlike  habits  and  stead- 
iness of  purpose  which  must  have  characterized 
them  as  a  people  to  a  large  degree  before  the 
whites  came  with  firearms  and  fire-water.  How 
forcibly  is  the  law  of  mutability  impressed  upon 
us  !  From  a  state  of  comparative  power  and  im- 
portance, this  people  has  dwindled  to  a  condition 
simply  foreshadowing  oblivion. 

Rev.  W.  W.  Kirby,  a  missionary  who  reached 
the  valley  of  the  Yukon  by  way  of  British  Colum- 
bia, fully  describes  the  Eskimos  whom  he  mingled 
with  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  Territory. 
He  considers  them  to  be  more  intelligent  than 
the  average  Alaska  Indians,  and  far  superior  to 
them  in  physical  appearance,  the  women  especially 
being  much  fairer  and  more  pleasing  to  look  upon. 
They  are  more  addicted  to  the  use  of  tobacco 
than  are  these  southern  tribes,  often  smoking  to 
great  excess,  and  in  the  most  peculiar  manner, 
swallowing  every  swiff  from  their  pipes,  until  they 
become  so  poisoned  as  to  fall  senseless  upon  the 
ground,  where  they  remain  in  this  condition  for  ten 
or  fifteen  minutes.     They  dress  very  neatly  with 


220  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

deerskins,  wearing  the  hair  on  the  outside.  The 
men  have  heavy  beards,  shave  the  crown  of  their 
heads,  leaving  the  sides  and  back  growth  to  fall 
freely  about  the  face  and  neck.  Mr.  Kiiby  is 
obliged  to  censure  the  thievish  propensities  of  this 
people,  which  was  a  source  of  great  trouble  and 
considerable  loss  to  him.  Speaking  of  his  high 
northern  latitude  when  among  the  Eskimt)S.  he 
says:  "As  we  advanced  farther  northward,  tlie 
sun  did  not  leave  us  at  all.  Freqiiently  did  I  see 
him  describe  a  complete  circle  in  the  heavens." 

As  far  south  as  Pyramid  Harbor,  latitude  59° 
11'  north,  the  sun  does  not  set  in  midsummer 
until  about  two  o'clock  in  the  moi'ning,  rising 
again  four  hours  later.  Even  during  these  four 
sunless  hours  fine  print  can  be  read  on  the  ship's 
deck  without  the  aid  of  any  other  than  the  natural 
light. 

Mr  Kirby  found  the  Indians  of  the  Yukon 
valley  to  be  rather  a  fierce  and  turbulent  people, 
more  like  our  Western  Indians  than  any  other 
tribes  whom  he  met.  Their  country  is  in  and 
about  latitude  65°  north,  and  beginning  at  the 
Mackenzie  River,  in  British  Columbia,  runs 
through  Alaska  to  Behring  Strait.  They  were 
formerly  very  numerous,  but  have  frequently  been 
at  war  with  the  Eskimos  north  of  them,  and  have 
thus  been  sadly  reduced  in  numbers,  though  they 
are  still  a  strong  and  powerful  people. 

There  is  a  singular  system  of  social  division 
recognized  among  them,  termed  respectively 
Chit-sa,  Nate-sa,  and  Tanges-at-sa,  faintly  repre- 


YUKON  MARRIAGE   CUSTOMS.  221 

senting  the  idea  of  aristocracy,  the  middle  class, 
and  the  poorer  order  of  our  civilization.  There 
is  another  peculiarity  in  this  connection,  it  being 
the  rule  for  a  man  not  to  marry  in  his  own,  but 
to  take  a  wife  from  either  of  the  other  classes. 
Thus  a  Chit-sa  gentleman  will  marry  a  Tanges- 
at-sa  peasant  without  hesitation  ;  the  offspring  in 
every  case  belonging  to  the  class  to  which  the 
mother  is  related.  This  arrangement  has  had  a 
most  beneficial  effect  in  allaying  the  deadly  feuds 
formerly  so  frequent  among  neighboring  tribes, 
and  which  have  been  the  cause  of  so  reducing 
their  memorial  strength  by  sanguinary  conflicts. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

Fort  Wrangel.  —  Plenty  of  Wild  Game.  —  Natives  do  not  caro 
for  Soldiers,  but  have  a  Wholesome  Fear  of  Gunboats.  —  Mode 
of  Trading.  —  Girls'  School  and  Home.  —  A  Deadly  Tragedy. 

—  Native  Jewelry  and  Carving.  —  No  Totem-Poles  for  Sale. 

—  Missionary  Enterprises. — Progress  in  Educating  Natives. 

—  Various  Denominations  Engaged  in  the  Missionary  Work. 

We  prefer  to  think  it  was  to  see  the  sun  rise 
that  we  got  up  so  early  on  arriving  at  Fort  Wran- 
gel, and  not  because  of  the  torturing  fact  that  our 
berth  was  too  short  at  both  ends,  and  kept  us  in 
a  chronic  state  of  wakefulness  and  cramp.  The 
distance  passed  over  in  coming  hither  from  Vic- 
toria was  about  eight  hundred  miles.  The  place, 
having  about  five  hundred  inhabitants,  is  advan- 
tageously situated  on  an  island  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Stickeen  River,  which  rises  in  British  Colum- 
bia and  has  a  length  of  nearly  two  hundred  and 
fifty  miles.  There  is  here  an  excellent  and  ca- 
pacious harbor,  surrounded  by  grand  mountains, 
while  lofty  snow-crowned  summits  more  inland 
break  the  sky-line  in  nearly  all  directions,  —  moun- 
tain towering  above  mountain,  until  the  view  is 
lost  among  far-away  peaks,  blue  and  indistinct. 
This  elevated  district  contains  wild  goats,  with 
now  and  then  a  grizzly  bear,  fiercest  of  his  tribe, 
while  in  its  ravines  and  valleys  the  little  mule- 
deer,  the  brown  bear,  the  fox,  the  land-otter,  the 


FORT   WRANGEL.  223 

mink,  and  various  other  animals  abound.  As  to 
the  small  streams  and  river  courses  which  thread 
the  territory,  they  are,  as  all  over  this  country, 
crovrded  with  fish,  the  salmon  prevailing.  The 
inland  haunts  within  twenty  leagues  of  the  coast 
are  little  disturbed  by  the  natives.  The  abun- 
dance of  halibut,  cod,  and  salmon  at  their  very 
doors,  as  it  were,  is  quite  sufficient  to  satisfy  the 
demands  of  nature,  and  it  is  only  when  tempted 
by  the  white  man's  gold  that  the  aborigines  will 
leave  the  coast  to  go  inland  in  search  of  pelts  and 
meat,  in  the  form  of  venison,  goat,  or  bear  flesh. 

The  town,  consisting  of  a  hundred  houses  and 
more,  is  spread  along  the  shore  at  the  base  of  a 
thickly  wooded  hill,  flanked  on  either  side  by  a 
long  line  of  low,  square,  rough-hewn  native  cabins. 
A  peep  into  the  interior  of  these  was  by  no  means 
reassuring.  Dirt,  degradation,  and  abundance 
were  combined.  The  few  domestic  utensils  seen 
appeared  never  to  have  been  washed,  being  thick 
with  grease,  while  the  stench  that  saluted  the  ol- 
factories was  sickening.  There  were  no  chairs, 
stools,  or  benches,  the  men  and  women  sitting 
upon  their  haunches,  a  position  which  would  be 
a  severe  trial  to  a  white  and  afford  no  rest  what- 
ever, but  which  is  the  universal  mode  of  sitting 
adopted  by  savage  races  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 
The  place  was  named  after  Baron  Wrangel,  gov- 
ernor of  Russian  America  at  the  time  when  it 
was  first  settled,  in  1834,  being  then  merely  a 
stockade  post.  After  the  United  States  came  into 
possession  of  the  country  it  was  for  a  short  time 


224  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

occupied  by  our  soldiers,  but  ere  long  ceased  to  be 
held  as  a  military  post,  the  soldiers  being  with- 
drtiwn  altogether  from  the  Territory.  It  was  soon 
discovered  that  the  natives  cared  nothing  for  the 
soldiers;  they  could  alvrays  get  away  from  them  in 
any  exigency  by  means  of  their  canoes ;  but  they 
had,  and  still  have,  a  wholesome  fear  of  a  revenue 
cutter  or  a  gunboat,  which  can  destroy  one  of 
their  villages,  if  necessary,  in  a  few  minutes. 

A  steamer  can  always  move  very  rapidly  from 
place  to  place  among  the  islands,  making  her  pres- 
ence felt  without  delay,  when  and  where  it  is  most 
needed.  At  the  outset  of  our  taking  possession 
of  Alaska,  an  example  of  decision  and  power  was 
necessary  to  put  the  natives  in  proper  awe  of  the 
government,  and  it  followed  quickly  upon  an  un- 
provoked outrage  committed  by  the  aborigines. 
One  of  their  villages,  not  far  from  Sitka,  was 
promptly  shelled  and  destroyed  in  half  an  hour. 
Since  then  there  has  been  no  trouble  of  conse- 
quence with  any  of  the  tribes,  who  have  profound 
respect  for  the  strong  arm,  and  to  speak  plainly, 
like  most  savage  races,  for  nothing  else. 

Fort  Wrangel  has  two  or  three  large  stores  for 
the  sale  of  goods  to  the  natives,  and  for  the  pur- 
chase of  furs,  Indian  curiosities,  and  the  like.  It 
is  also  the  headquarters  of  the  gold  miners,  who 
gather  here  when  tlie  season  is  no  longer  fit  for 
out-of-door  work  at  the  placers. 

Seeing  the  natives  crowding  the  stores,  it  was 
natural  to  suppose  the  traders  were  driving  a  good 
business,  but  a   proprietor  explained    that  these 


GIRLS'  SCHOOL  AND  HOME.  22;") 

people  were  slow  buyers,  making  liim  many  calls 
before  purchasing.  They  look  an  article  over  three 
or  four  different  times  before  concluding  they  want 
it ;  then  its  cost  is  to  be  considered.  The  native's 
squaw  comes  and  approves  or  disapproves ;  the 
article  is  discussed  with  the  men's  neighbors,  and, 
finally,  his  resolution  having  culminated,  he  goes 
away  to  earn  the  money  with  which  to  make  the 
purchase!  "Such  customers  are  very  trying  to 
our  patience,"  remarked  the  trader,  "  but  after 
you  once  understand  their  peculiarities  it  is  easy 
enough  to  get  along  with  them." 

A  truly  charitable  enterprise  has  been  estab- 
lished here ;  we  refer  to  the  Indian  Girls'  School 
and  Home,  supported  by  the  American  Board  of 
Missions,  where  the  pupils  are  taught  industrial 
duties  appertaining  to  the  domestic  associations 
of  their  sex,  as  well  as  the  ordinary  branches  of  a 
common  school  education.  No  effort,  we  were 
told,  is  made  to  enforce  any  special  tenets  of  faith, 
but  these  girls  are  taught  morality,  which  is  prac- 
tical religion.  The  example  is  much  needed  here, 
both  among  these  native  people  and  the  whites. 

To  show  what  strict  adherents  these  Alaskans 
are  to  tribal  conventionalities,  we  can  do  no  better 
than  relate  a  singular  occurrence,  for  (he  trutli  of 
which  Dr.  Jackson  is  our  authority. 

"  Near  the  Hoonah  Mission,  a  short  time  ago, 
a  deadly  tragedy  took  place.  A  stalwuil  native 
came  into  the  village  and  imbibed  too  freely  of 
hoochinoo.  "Walking  along  the  street  he  saw  a 
young  married  girl  with  whom  he  was  greatly  in- 


226  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

fatuated.  The  girl  was  afraid  to  meet  bim  and 
turning  ran  to  ber  bouse.  The  man  gave  pursuit 
and  gained  entrance  to  the  house.  All  the  in- 
mates escaped  in  terror.  Tbe  desperado  boldly 
continued  bis  hunt  for  the  woman,  and  the  hus- 
band of  the  woman  with  a  few  friends  took  refuge 
in  bis  own  house  again.  Tbe  ravishing  fiend  re- 
turned, and  demanding  admittance  battered  in 
the  door  with  an  axe,  and  as  he  entered  was  shot 
and  instantly  killed.  The  friends  of  the  dead 
man  met  in  council,  and  according  to  their  cus- 
tom demanded  a  life  for  bis  life.  The  husband 
and  protector  of  his  wife's  virtue  gave  himself  into 
the  custody  of  bis  enemies  and  was  uuceremoni- 
ously  killed ! " 

The  production  of  native  jewelry  is  a  specialty 
here,  and  some  of  tbe  silver  ornaments  of  Indian 
manufacture  are  really  very  fine,  exhibiting  great 
skill  and  originality,  if  not  refined  taste.  Their 
carvings  in  ivory  are  exceedingly  curious,  skill- 
ful, and  attractive,  especially  upon  walrus  teeth, 
whereon  tbey  will  imitate  precisely  any  pattern 
that  is  given  to  them,  with  a  patient  fidelity 
equaling  tbe  Chinese.  The  native  designs  are 
far  tbe  most  desirable,  however,  being  not  only 
typical  of  tbe  people  and  locality,  but  original 
and  fitting.  The  time  devoted  to  a  piece  of  work 
seems  to  be  of  no  consideration  to  a  native,  and 
forms  no  criterion  as  regards  tbe  price  demanded 
for  it.  From  tbe  sale  of  these  fancy  articles  tbe 
aborigines  receive  annually  a  considerable  sum  of 
money.     It  is  indeed  surprising  bow  they  can  get 


NATIVE   CARVINGS.  227 

such  results  without  better  tools.  With  some  ar- 
tistic instruction  they  would  be  cupable  of  produ- 
cing designs  and  combinations  of  a  choice  char- 
acter, and  which  would  command  a  market  among 
the  most  fastidious  purchasers.  Their  present 
somewhat  rude  ornaments  iiave  attracted  so  much 
attention  that  two  or  three  stores  in  San  Fran- 
cisco keep  a  variety  of  them  for  sale.  But  it  is 
the  charm  of  having  purchased  such  souvenirs  on 
the  spot  which  forms  half  their  value. 

Speaking  of  these  souvenirs,  the  author  was 
shown  some  stone  carvings  at  Victoria,  on  the  pas- 
sage from  Puget  Sound  northward,  which  were 
of  native  manufacture,  and  thought  to  be  idols. 
It  was  afterwards  learned  that  these  were  the 
works  of  the  Haidas  of  Queen  Charlotte  Island, 
about  seventy  or  eighty  miles  north  of  Vancouver 
Island.  There  is  here  a  slate-stone,  quite  soft 
when  first  quarried,  which  is  easily  carved  into 
any  design  or  fanciful  figure,  but  which  rapidly 
hardens  on  exposure  to  the  air.  The  stone  is 
oiled  when  the  carving  is  completed,  and  this 
gives  it  the  appearance  of  age,  as  well  as  makes 
it  dark  and  smooth.  The  natives  of  this  north- 
west coast  do  not  worship  idols,  therefore  these 
are  not  objects  of  that  character,  though  they  are 
curious  and  interesting.  It  is  among  these  Haidas 
that  the  practice  of  tattooing  most  prevails,  and 
they  still  cover  their  bodies  with  designs  of  birds, 
fishes,  and  animals,  some  of  which  are  most  hide- 
ous caricatures.  This  tribe  is  said  to  be  the  most 
addicted   to  gambling   of   any  on  the   coast,  the 


228  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

demoralizing  effect  of  which  is  to  be  seen  in  vari- 
ous forms  among  them. 

Fort  Wrangel  has  several  demon-like  totem- 
poles.  There  is  a  sort  of  fascination  attached  to 
these  awkward  objects  which  leads  one  carefully 
to  examine  and  constantly  to  talk  about  them. 
Before  some  cabins  there  are  two  of  the  weird 
things,  covered  with  devices  representing  both 
the  male  and  female  branches  of  the  family 
which  occupies  the  cabin.  It  was  found  that 
much  more  importance  was  attached  to  these  em- 
blems here  than  had  been  manifested  farther 
south.  An  interested  excursionist  who  came  up 
on  our  steamer,  wishing  to  possess  himself  of  a 
totem-pole,  found  one  at  last  of  suitable  size  for 
transportation,  and  tried  to  purchase  it,  but  dis- 
covered that  no  possible  sum  which  he  could  offer 
would  be  considered  as  an  equivalent  for  it.  All 
of  his  subsequtmt  efforts  in  this  line  proved" 
equally  unsuccessful  so  far  as  totem-poles  were 
concerned,  and  yet  we  remember  that  they  are  to 
be  found  in  many  of  our  public  museums  through- 
out the  States,  and  we  have  seen  large  ones  lying 
upon  the  ground  moss  covered  and  neglected.  It 
appeared  to  be  only  the  rich  native  who  indulged 
in  an  individual  totem-pole.  The  cost  of  one,  say 
forty  or  fifty  feet  long,  carved  after  the  orthodox 
fashion,  with  the  free  feast  given  at  all  such  rais- 
ings, is  said  to  be  over  a  thousand  dollars.  The 
more  lavish  the  expenditure  on  these  occasions,  the 
greater  the  honor  achieved  by  the  host. 

There  is  a  successful  day-school  established  here 


MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISES.  229 

besides  the  Indian  Girls'  Home,  which  is  accom- 
plishing much  good  in  educating  the  rising  gener- 
ation, and  in  introducing  civilized  manners  and  cus- 
toms. The  children  evince  a  fair  degree  of  natural 
aptitude,  learning  easily  to  read  and  write,  but 
are  a  little  dull,  we  were  told,  in  arithmetic. 
Adult,  uneducated  natives,  however,  are  quick 
enough  at  making  all  necessary  calcuhitions  in 
their  trades  with  the  whites,  either  as  purchas- 
ers of  domestic  goods,  or  in  selling  their  peltries. 
The  Presbyterians,  Methodists,  Episcopalians,  Mo- 
ravians, Quakers,  Baptists,  and  Roman  Catholics 
all  have  missionary  stations  in  different  parts  of 
the  country.  Schools  have  also  been  established 
for  the  general  instruction  of  whites  and  natives  at 
Juneau,  Sitka,  Wrangel,  Jackson,  and  other  local- 
ities under  direction  of  our  government  officials, 
and  proper  teachers  have  been  supjDlied,  the  whole 
system  being  under  the  supervision  of  a  compe- 
tent head,  Mrs.  J.  G.  Hyde,  who  teaches  school 
at  Juneau,  in  her  last  year's  report,  says ;  "  Many 
of  the  scholars,  who,  when  the  term  began  last 
September,  could  not  speak  a  word  of  English,  can 
now  not  only  speak,  but  read  and  write  it.  They 
can  also  spell  correctly  and  are  beginning  in  the 
first  principles  of  arithmetic.  To  the  casual  ob- 
server perhaps  nothing  seems  more  absurd  than  the 
attempt  by  any  process  to  enlighten  the  clouded 
intellect  of  this  benighted  people.  Indeed,  the 
most  squalid  street  Arabs  might  be  considered 
a  thousand  times  more  desirable  as  pupils.  But  a 
few  days'  work  among  and  for  them  convinces  the 


230  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

teacher  that  she  has  not  a  boisterous,  uncontrol- 
lable lot  of  children,  but  as  much  the  opposite  as 
it  is  possible  to  imagine.  Children  who  habitu- 
ally refrain  from  playing  during  intermission  that 
they  may  learn  some  lesson  or  how  to  do  some 
fancy  work  are  not  to  be  classed  with  the  wild, 
wayward,  or  vicious.  Boys  who,  when  their  regu- 
lar lessons  are  done,  are  continually  designing  and 
drawing  cannot  be  said  to  be  entirely  devoid  of 
talent  worthy  of  cultivation.  While  the  develop- 
ment must  be  slow  in  most  cases,  there  are  a  few 
who  would  compare  favorably  with  white  children. 
Their  abnormal  development  of  the  faculty  of  form 
gives  them  an  inestimable  advantage  over  their 
more  favored  pale-face  brothers  in  acquiring  the 
art  of  writing  and  drawing.  Their  mind  acts  very 
slowly,  but  they  make  up  in  tenacity  of  purpose 
what  they  lack  in  aptness." 

At  Sitka  there  is  an  industrial  school  which  is 
very  successful  training  native  boys  and  girls  in 
mechanical  and  domestic  occupations,  and  of  which 
we  will  speak  in  detail  in  a  further  chapter. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Schools  in  Alaska  — Natives  Ambitious  to  learn.  —  Wild  Flow- 
ers.—  Native  Grasses.  —  Boat  Racing.  —  Avaricious  Natives. 
—  The  Candle  Fish.— Gold  Mines  Inland. —  Chinese  Gold- 
Diggers.  —  A  Ledge  of  Garnets.  —  Belief  in  Omens.  —  More 
Schools  required. — The  Pestiferous  Mosquito.  —  Mosquitoes 
and  Bears.  —  Alaskan  Fjords.  —  The  Patterson  Glacier. 

The  general  plan  of  this  school  at  Wrangel 
struck  us  as  being  the  most  promising  means  of 
improvement  that  could  possibly  be  devised  and 
carried  forward  among  the  aborigines  of  Alaska. 
We  were  informed  that  fourteen  government  day 
schools  were  in  operation  in  the  Territory,  under 
the  able  supervision  of  tliat  true  philanthropist, 
Dr.  Sheldon  Jackson,  United  States  General  Agent 
for  Education  in  the  Territory.  The  natives  al- 
most universally  welcome  and  gladly  improve  the 
advantages  afforded  them  for  instruction,  espe- 
cially as  regards  their  children.  Many  individual 
cases  with  which  the  author  became  acquainted 
were  of  much  more  than  ordinary  interest ;  indeed, 
it  was  quite  touching  to  observe  the  eagerness  of 
young  natives  to  gain  intellectual  culture.  Surely 
such  incentive  is  worthy  of  all  encouragement. 
One  could  not  but  contrast  the  earnestness  of 
these  untutored  aborigines  to  make  the  most  of 
every  opportunity  for  learning  with  the  neglected 
opportunities  of  eight  tenths  of  our  pampered  cliil- 


232  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

dren  of  civilization.  Here  is  the  true  field  of  mis- 
sionary work,  the  work  of  education. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  Fort  Wrangel  plenty  of 
sweet  wild  flowers  were  observed  in  bloom,  some 
especially  of  Alpine  character  were  very  interest- 
ing,—  "  wee,  modest,  crimson-tipped  flowers,"  — 
while  the  tall  blueberry  bushes  were  crowded  with 
wholesome  and  appetizing  fruit,  with  here  and 
there  clusters  of  the  luscious  salmon-berry,  yellow 
as  gold,  and  so  ripe  as  to  melt  in  the  mouth.  At 
the  earliest  advent  of  spring  the  flowers  burst 
forth  in  this  latitude  with  surprising  forwardness, 
a  phenomenon  also  observable  in  northern  Sweden 
and  Norway.  Such  white  clover  heads  are  rarely 
seen  anywhere  else,  large,  well  spread,  and  fra- 
grant as  pinks.  Among  the  ferns  was  an  abun- 
dance of  the  tiny-leaved  maiden's  hair  species, 
with  delicate,  chocolate  stems.  The  soil  also 
abounds  in  well-developed  grasses,  timothy  grow- 
ing here  to  four  feet  and  over  in  height,  and  the 
nutritious,  stocky  blue  grass  even  higher.  Veg- 
etation during  the  brief  summer  season  runs  riot, 
and  makes  the  most  of  its  opportunity.  Although 
south  of  Sitka,  Fort  Wrangel  is  colder  in  winter 
and  warmer  in  summer,  on  account  of  its  distance 
from  the  influence  of  the  thermal  ocean  current 
already  described. 

Sometimes  a  purse  is  made  up  among  the  visit- 
ors here  and  offered  as  a  prize  to  the  natives  in 
boat-racing.  A  number  of  long  canoes,  each  with 
an  Indian  crew  of  from  ten  to  sixteen,  take  part  in 
the  aquatic  struggle,  which  proves  very  amusing, 


AVARICE.  233 

not  to  say  exciting.  The  native  boats  are  flat-bot- 
tomed, and  glide  over  the  surface  of  the  water  with 
the  least  possible  displacement.  An  Alaskan  is 
seen  at  his  best  when  acting  as  a  boatman  ;  he 
takes  instinctively  to  the  paddle  from  his  earliest 
youth,  and  is  never  out  of  training  for  boat-ser- 
vice so  long  as  he  lives  and  is  able  to  wield  an  oar. 
No  university  crew  could  successfully  compete  with 
these  semi-civilized  canoeists.  Well-trained  naval 
boat-crews  have  often  been  distanced  by  them. 

The  avariciousness  of  the  natives  is  exhibited  in 
their  readiness  to  sell  almost  anything  they  pos- 
sess for  money,  even  to  parting  with  their  wives 
and  daughters  to  the  miners  for  base  purposes; 
though,  as  we  have  seen,  they  do  draw  the  line  at 
totem-poles.  It  should  be  understood  that  tliese 
queerly  carved  posts  are  emblems  mosth^  of  the 
past ;  that  is  to  say,  although  the  natives  carefully 
preserve  those  which  now  exist,  few  fresh  ones  are 
raised  by  them.  Toy  effigies  representing  these 
emblems  are  carved  and  offered  for  sale  to  curio- 
hunters  at  nearly  all  of  the  villages  on  the  coast, 
and  as  a  rule  are  readily  disposed  of. 

There  is  very  little  if  any  use  in  Alaska  for 
artificial  light  during  the  summer  season,  while 
nature's  grand  luminary  is  so  sleepless  ;  but  wdien 
tliese  aborigines  do  require  a  lamp  for  a  special 
purpose,  the}'  have  the  most  inexpensive  and  in- 
genious substitute  ever  ready  at  hand.  The  water 
supplies  them  with  any  quantity  of  the  ulikon  or 
candle-fish,  about  the  size  of  our  largest  New 
England  smelts,  and  which  are  full  of  oil.     They 


234  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

are  small  in  body,  but  over  ten  inches  in  length. 
They  are  prepared  by  a  drying  process  and  are 
stored  away  for  use,  serving  both  for  food  and 
for  liglit.  When  a  match  is  applied  to  one  end 
of  the  dried  ulikon,  it  \A'ill  burn  until  the  whole  is 
quite  consumed,  clear  and  bright  to  the  last,  giv- 
ing a  light  equal  to  three  or  four  candles.  So 
rich  are  these  fishes  in  oil  that  alcohol  will  not 
preserve  ihem,  a  discoA^ery  which  was  made  in  pre- 
paring specimens  for  the  Smithsonian  Institution. 
When  the  Indians  of  the  interior  visit  the  coast, 
as  many  of  them  do  annually,  they  are  sure  to  lay 
in  a  stock  of  candle-fish  to  take  back  with  them 
for  use  in  the  lone:  Arctic  nifjht.  This  fish  runs 
at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  in  great  schools  from 
the  sea,  invading  the  fresh-water  rivers  near  their 
mouths,  when  the  natives  rake  them  on  shore  by 
the  bushel  and  preserve  them  as  described.  When 
boiled  they  produce  an  oil  which  hardens  like 
butter,  and  which  the  Alaskans  eat  as  we  do 
that  article,  with  this  important  difference,  that 
they  prefer  their  oil-butter  to  be  quite  rancid  be- 
fore they  consider  it  at  its  best,  while  civilized 
taste  requires  exactly  the  opposite  condition, 
namely,  perfect  freshness.  Putrid  animal  matter 
would  certainl}'  poison  a  white  man,  but  the 
Alaskan  Indians  seem  to  thrive  upon  it. 

Some  inland  districts,  which  are  most  easily 
reached  from  this  point,  are  rich  in  gold-bearing 
quartz  and  placer  mines,  but  especially  in  the 
latter.  We  were  credibly  informed  that  over 
three  million   dollars'  worth  of  gold  was  shipped 


INLAND   GOLD  MINES.  235 

from  here  in  a  period  of  five  years,  tliougli  no 
really  organized  and  persistent  effort  at  mining 
had  been  made,  or  rather  we  should  say  no 
modern  facilities  had  been  employed  in  bringing 
about  this  result.  The  machinery  for  reducing 
gold-bearing  quartz  has  not  yet  been  carried  far 
inland  because  of  the  great  difficulty  of  transporta- 
tion. Gold  quartz  ledges  are  numerous  and  quite 
undeveloped  in  the  neighborhood  of  Wrangel. 
The  well-known  Cassiar  mines  are  situated  just 
over  the  Alaska  boundary  on  the  east  side  in 
British  Columbia,  but  the  gold  discoveries  in 
Alaska  proper  are  proving  so  much  more  profit- 
able that  those  of  the  Cassiar  district  have  ceased 
to  attract  the  miners.  There  is  a  curious  fact  con- 
nected with  these  deposits  of  the  precious  metal  in 
the  region  approached  by  the  way  of  Wrangel.  In 
more  than  one  instance,  as  reported  by  Captain 
White  of  the  United  States  Revenue  Service, 
placer  gold,  which  is  usually  sought  for  in  the 
dry  beds  of  river  courses  and  in  low  lands,  is  here 
found  on  the  tops  of  mountains  a  thousand  feet 
high,  where  the  largest  nuggets  of  the  precious 
metal  yet  found  in  the  Northwest  have  been 
obtained.  Many  of  the  lumps  of  pure  gold  picked 
up  in  this  region  have  weighed  thirty  ounces  and 
L  over.  The  idea  of  finding  placer  deposits  on  the 
L  tops  of  mountains  is  a  novelty  in  gold  prospecting, 
^  The  Stickeen  River,  which  is  the  largest  in  the 
Biouthern  part  of  the  Territory,  has  its  mouth  in 
Btlie  harbor  of  Fort  Wrangel,  discoloring  the  waters 
^for  a  long  distance  with  its  chalk-like,  frothy  flow, 


236  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

a  characteristic  of  all  Alaska  streams  into  which 
the  waters  of  the  snowy  mountains  and  glaciers 
empty.  The  river  is  navigable  for  light-draft 
stern- wheel  steamers  to  Glenora,  a  liundred  and 
fifty  miles  from  its  mouth.  After  reaching  this 
place,  the  way  to  the  Cassiar  mines  is  overland 
for  an  equal  distance  by  a  difficult  mountain  trail, 
it  being  necessary  to  transport  all  provisions  and 
material  on  the  backs  of  natives,  who  have  learned 
to  demand  good  pay  for  this  laborious  service. 
The  interior  upon  this  route  is  broken  into  a  suc- 
cession of  sharply-defined  mountains,  separated  by 
narrow  and  deep  valleys,  similar  to  the  islands  off 
the  mainland.  This  is  so  decided  a  feature  as  to 
lead  Mr.  George  Davidson  of  the  United  States 
Coast  Survey  to  remark  :  "  The  topography  of 
the  Alexander  Archipelago  is  a  type  of  the  in- 
terior. A  submergence  of  the  mountain  region 
of  the  maiidand  would  give  a  similar  succession 
of  islands,  separated  by  deep  narrow  fjords."  The 
sandy  bed  and  banks  of  the  Stickeen  are  heavily 
charged  with  particles  of  gold,  ten  dollars  per  day 
each  being  frequently  realized  by  gangs  of  men 
who  manipulate  the  same  only  in  the  most  primi- 
tive fashion.  Numbers  of  Chinamen  availed  them- 
selves of  this  opportunity  until  they  were  expelled 
by  both  the  whites  and  the  natives.  The  poor 
"  Heathen  Chinee "  is  unwelcome  everywhere 
outside  of  his  own  Celestial  Empire,  and  yet  close 
observation  shows,  as  we  have  already  said,  that 
these  Asiatics  have  more  good  qualities  than  the 
average  foreigners  who  seek  a  home  on  our 
shores. 


A    LEDGE   OF   GARNETS.  237 

The  scenery  of  the  Stickeen  River  is  pronounced 
by  Professor  Muir  to  be  superb  and  grand  beyond 
description.  Three  hundred  ghiciers  are  known 
to  drain  into  its  swift  running  waters,  over  one 
hundred  of  which  are  to  be  seen  between  f\)rt 
Wrangel  and  Glenora.  Near  the  moiitli  of  tlie 
river  is  the  curious  ledge  of  garnet  crystals,  which 
furnishes  stones  of  considerable  beauty  and  bril- 
liancy, though  not  sufficiently  clear  to  be  used  as 
gems.  Choice  pieces  are  secured  by  visitors  as 
cabinet  specimens,  however,  and  can  be  had,  if 
desired,  by  the  bushel,  at  a  trifling  cost.  Tliey 
occur  in  a  matrix  of  slate-like  formation,  some  so 
large  as  to  weigh  two  or  three  ounces,  and  dimin- 
ishing from  that  size  the\'  are  found  as  small  as  a 
pin-head.  It  requires  three  days  of  hard  steam- 
ing against  the  current  to  ascend  the  river  as  far 
as  Glenora  from  the  mouth,  whereas  the  same 
distance  returning,  down  stream,  has  frequently 
been  made  in  eight  or  ten  hours.  So  necessarily 
rapid  is  the  descent  of  the  Stickeen  as  to  make 
the  downward  tiip  quite  hazardous,  except  in 
charge  of  a  careful  pilot.  In  the  neighborhood  of 
Fort  Wrangel  there  are  some  very  active  lx)iling 
springs,  which  the  natives  utilize,  as  do  the  New 
Zealanders  at  Ohinemutu,  by  cooking  their  food 
in  them. 

In  the  crater  of  Goreloi,  on  Burned  Island,  is  a 
vast  boiling  spring,  or  rather  a  boiling  lake,  which 
has  never  been  intelligently  described,  and  which 
is  represented  by  those  who  have  seen  it  to  be 
unique.     This  strange  body  of  water  is  eighteen 


238  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

miles  in  circumference.  Tlie  natives  are  well 
supplied  with  legends  relating  to  these  remarka- 
ble natural  phenomena,  including  the  extinct  and 
active  volcanoes.  Genii  and  dreaded  spirits  are 
supposed  by  them  to  dwell  in  the  extinct  volca- 
noes, and  to  make  their  homes  in  the  mountain 
caves.  They  believe  that  good  spirits  will  not 
harm  them,  and  therefore  do  not  address  them- 
selves to  such,  but  the  evil  ones  must  by  some 
active  means  be  propitiated,  and  to  them  their 
sole  attention  is  given,  or,  in  other  words,  their 
religious  ceremonies  when  analyzed  are  simply 
devil  worship.  All  of  the  tribes,  if  we  except 
the  Aleuts,  are  held  in  abject  fear  by  their  con- 
jurers or  medicine-men,  who  seemed  to  us  to  be 
the  most  anant  knaves  conceivable,  not  possess- 
ing one  genuine  quality  to  sustain  their  assump- 
tions except  that  of  bold  effrontery.  This  seems 
particularly  strange,  as  the  aborigines  of  the  North- 
west are  more  than  ordinarily*  intelligent,  com- 
pared with  other  half-civilized  races,  both  in  this 
and  other  lands. 

They  are  firm  believers  in  signs  and  omens. 
When  Rev.  Mr.  Willard  and  wife  first  came  to 
the  Chilcat  country  the  winter  was  one  of  deep 
snows  and  stormy  weather.  The  natives  said  that 
the  weather-gods  were  angry  at  the  new  ways  of 
the  missionaries.  A  child  had  been  buried  instead 
of  burned  on  the  funeral  pyre  in  accordance  with 
their  customs.  The  mother  of  the  child  became 
alarmed  and  felt  that  her  life  was  in  jeopardy  for 
permitting  her  child  to  be  buried,  so  she  kindled 


BELIEF  IN  OMENS.  239 

a  fire  over  the  grave  in  order  to  appease  the  gods 
and  bring  fair  weatlier.  At  school  the  children 
had  played  new  games  and  mocked  wild  geese. 
So  the  girls  of  the  Sitka  Training  School  brought 
on  a  very  cold  spell  of  weather  by  playing  a  game 
called  "  cat's-back,"  and  which  caused  a  commo- 
tion at  the  native  village.  A  white  man  out  with 
some  natives  picked  up  some  large  clam-shells  on 
the  beach  to  bring  home  with  him  ;  the  natives 
remonstrated  with  him,  saying  that  "  a  big  storm 
may  overtake  us,  our  canoe  might  capsize,  and  all 
be  drowned  the  next  time  we  go  on  the  water." 

In  tempestuous  weather  the  native  propitiates 
the  spirit  of  the  storm  by  leaving  a  portion  of 
tobacco  in  the  rock-caves  alongshore,  but  in  calm 
weather  he  smokes  the  weed  himself.  It  was 
noticed,  however,  that  the  aboriginal  Alaskans 
were  little  given  to  the  use  of  tobacco,  less,  in- 
deed, than  any  semi-civilized  race  whom  the  writer 
has  ever  visited.  . 

Governor  Swineford,  in  his  annual  report  to  the 
department  at  Washington,  dated  1886,  says :  "  I 
have  no  reason  to  change  or  modify  the  estimate 
I  had  formed  on  very  short  acquaintance  of  the 
character  of  the  native  Alaskans.  They  are  a 
very  superior  race  intellectually  as  compared  with 
the  people  generally  known  as  North  American 
Indians,  and  are  as  a  rule  industrious  and  provi- 
dent,  being  wholly  self-sustaining.  They  are 
shrewd  and  natural-born  traders.  Some  are  good 
carpenters,  others  are  skillful  workers  in  wood  and 
metals.    Not  a  few  among  them  speak  the  English 


240  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

language,  and  some  of  the  young  men  and  women 
have  learned  to  read  and  write,  and  nearly  all  are 
anxious  forthe  education  of  their  children." 

Our  government  should  act  upon  this  hint  and 
freely  establish  the  UK^ans  of  education  among  the 
Alaskans.  True,  it  is  systematically  engaged  in 
promoting  the  cause  in  various  ways,  though  not 
very  energetically.  Congress  having  voted  forty- 
five  thousand  dollars  to  be  expended  for  the  pur- 
pose during  the  year  1889.  "  School-houses  are 
the  republican  line  of  fortifications,"  said  Horace 
Mann.  ''  Among  those  best  known,"  says  Dr.  Shel- 
don Jackson,  speaking  of  the  native  tribes,  "the 
highest  ambition  is  to  build  American  homes,  pos- 
sess American  furniture,  dress  in  American  clothes, 
adopt  the  American  style  of  living,  and  be  Amer- 
ican citizens.  They  ask  no  special  favors  from  the 
American  government,  no  annuities  or  help,  but 
simply  to  be  treated  as  other  citizens,  protected  by 
the  laws  and  courts,  and  in  common  with  all 
others  furnished  with  schools  for  their  children." 
It  was  made  the  duty  of  the  Secretary  of  the  In- 
terior, by  the  act  providing  a  civil  government  for 
Alaska,  to  make  needful  and  proper  provision  for 
the  education  of  all  children  of  school  age  witliout 
reference  to  race  or  color,  and  all  true  friends  of 
progress  and  humanity  will  urge  the  matter  until  a 
common  school  is  established  in  every  native  tribe 
and  settlement  having  a  sufficient  number  of 
children. 

We  were  told  that  tliere  is  good*  hunting  inland 
a   short   distance   from    Fort    Wrangel ;    winter, 


THE   UBIQUITOUS  MOSQUITO.  241 

however,  is  tlie  oiih'  season  when  this  can  be  suc- 
cessfully pursued  near  to  the  coast  in  the  wild  dis- 
tricts. The  marshy  "  tundra  "  is  then  frozen  and 
covered  with  snow,  making  it  possible  to  cross. 
This  is  the  period  of  the  year  also  when  the  na- 
tives of  the  interior  prosecute  their  most  success- 
ful trapping  and  hunting,  coming  down  to  the 
coast  by  the  river  in  the  summer  to  sell  their 
pelts  and  to  purchase  stores  of  the  white  traders. 
The  Russians  have  long  since  taught  the  aborig- 
ines to  depend  much  upon  tea,  but  they  care  very 
little  for  coffee.  Rifles  are  greatly  prized  by  them, 
and  though  they  are  contraband  nearly  every  In- 
dian manages  to  possess  one  and  knows  how  to 
use  it  most  effectually.  They  are  very  econom- 
ical of  ammunition,  and  never  throw  away  a  shot 
by  carelessness. 

The  pestiferous  and  ubiquitous  mosquito  is  not 
absent  from  these  high  latitudes.  Tiiey  are  very 
troublesome  during  the  short  summer  season  in 
northern  Alaska  as  well  as  among  the  islands  of 
the  Alexander  Archipelago.  Strange  that  so  frail 
an  insect  should  have  reached  as  far  north  as  man 
has  penetrated.  Even  while  climbing  the  frosty 
glaciers  the  excursionist  will  find  both  hands  re- 
quired to  prevent  their  biting  his  face  from  fore- 
head to  chin.  If  they  are  a  persistent  pest  in 
equatorial  latitudes,  they  are  ten  times  more  ven- 
omous and  voracious  in  these  regions  during  cer- 
tain seasons.  The  author  has  experienced  this  fact 
also  in  Norway  at  even  a  mucli  higher  latitude 
than  he  visited  in  the  western  hemisphere.     The 


242  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

bites  of  these  mosquitoes  fortunately,  like  all  flesh 
wounds  in  this  northern  region,  heal  quickly,  ven- 
omous as  they  are,  owing  to  the  liberally  ozon- 
ized condition  of  the  atmosphere  as  well  as  the 
absence  of  disease  germs  and  organic  dust. 

It  is  said  that  when  the  otter  hunters  or  others 
among  the  aborigines  get  wounded  in  any  way, 
their  treatment  is  simple  and  efficacious,  and 
however  severe  the  wound  may  be,  it  is  nearly 
always  quickly  healed.  The  victim  of  the  acci- 
dent puts  himself  uncomplainingly  on  starvation 
diet,  living  upon  an  astonishingly  small  amount  of 
food  for  a  couple  of  weeks,  and  the  cure  follows 
rapidly. 

Frederick  Schwatka,  in  his  excellent  book  en- 
titled "  Along  Alaska's  Great  River,"  tells  how 
the  mosquitoes  conquer  and  absolutely  destroy  the 
bears,  and  it  seems  that  the  native  dogs  are  some- 
times overcome  by  them  in  some  exposed  districts 
of  the  Yukon  valley.  The  great  brown  bear, 
having  exhausted  the  roots  and  berries  on  one 
mountain  side,  cross  the  valley  to  another  range, 
or  rather  makes  the  attempt  to  do  so,  but  is  not  al- 
ways successful.  Covered  by  a  heavy  coat  of  hair 
on  his  body,  his  eyes,  nose,  and  ears  are  the  only 
vulnerable  points  of  attack  for  the  mosquitoes,  and 
hereon  they  congregate,  surrounding  tin;  bear's 
head  in  clouds.  As  he  reaches  a  swampy  spot 
they  increase  in  vigor  and  numbers,  until  tiie  ani- 
mal's forepaws  become  so  occupied  in  striving  to 
keep  them  off  that  he  cannot  walk.  Then  Bruin 
becomes  enraged,  and,  bear-like,  rises  on  his  hind 


ALASKAN  FJORDS.  243 

legs  to  fight.  It  is  a  mere  question  of  time  after 
this  stage  is  reached  until  the  bear's  eyes  become 
so  swollen  from  the  innumerable  bites  that  he  can- 
not see,  and  in  a  blind  condition  he  wanders  help- 
lessly about  until  he  gets  mired  and  starves  to 
death.  The  cinnamon  and  black  bears  are  most 
common,  the  grizzly  being  less  frequently  met 
with.  The  great  white  polar  bears  are  not  found 
south  of  Behring  Strait,  though  they  are  numerous 
on  the  borders  of  the  Arctic  Ocean. 

At  every  landing  made  'by  the  steamer  on  our 
meandering  course  among  the  islands  Indians 
come  to  the  wharves  to  offer  their  curios  or  home- 
made articles,  only  valuable  as  souvenirs  of  the 
visit.  As  they  mass  themselves  here  and  there, 
either  on  the  shore  or  the  ship's  deck,  they  form 
picturesque  groups,  made  up  of  bucks,  squaws, 
and  pajjooses,  presenting  charming  bits  of  color, 
while  they  amuse  the  stranger  by  their  peculiar 
physiognomy  and  manners.  During  the  excur- 
sion season  they  must  reap  quite  a  harvest  by  the 
sale  of  baskets  and  various  domestic  trinkets. 

After  leaving  Fort  Wrangel  we  are  soon  in  the 
wild,  picturesque,  and  sinuous  narrows  which  bear 
the  same  name.  The  water  is  shallow  ;  here  and 
there  are  many  dangerous  rocks  in  the  channels. 
Inlets  or  fjords  are  often  passed,  so  quiet  and  invit- 
ing in  their  appearance  as  to  tempt  the  traveler 
to  diverge  from  the  usual  route.  Some  of  these 
marine  nooks  are  deep  enough  to  float  the  largest 
ship,  yet  far  down  through  the  clear  water  one 
can  see  gardens  of  zoophytes  invaded  by  myriads 


244  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

of  curiously  shaped  lisli,  large  and  small.  The 
bottom  of  these  waters,  like  the  land  and  sea  of 
Alaska,  teems  with  animal  life.  A  few  hours' 
dredging  would  supply  the  most  enthusiastic  nat- 
uralist with  ample  material  for  a  year's  study. 
In  the  many  stops  of  the  steamer  to  take  or 
deliver  freight,  brief  boat  excursions  can  be  en- 
joyed. On  one  of  these  occasions  we  saw  the 
first  live  octopus,  or  devil  -  fish,  with  two  of  its 
fatal  arms  encircling  a  small  fish,  which,  after 
squeezing  out  its  life,  ^he  octopus  would  devour. 
The  one  which  was  seen  on  this  occasion  was  not 
very  large,  the  rounded  body  being,  perhaps, 
eighteen  or  twenty  inches  across,  but  its  vicious 
looking  tentacles,  six  in  number,  two  of  which 
securely  clasped  its  victim,  were  each  three  times 
that  length.  The  large  eyes  seemed  out  of  pro- 
portion to  the  animal's  size,  and  were  placed  on 
one  side  like  those  of  the  flounder. 

The  Patterson  glacier  is  the  first  of  the  many 
which  come  into  view  on  this  part  of  the  voyage, 
but  they  multiply  rapidly  as  we  steam  north- 
ward. It  is  vast  in  in-oportinns,  though  partly 
hidden  behind  the  moraine  which  it  has  raised. 
Three  or  four  miles  back  from  its  front  rises  a 
wall  of  solid  ice  nearly  a  thousand  feet  in  height. 
The  whole  was  rendered  marvelously  beautiful, 
lighted  up  as  we  saw  it  by  bright  noonday  sun- 
shine, which  brought  out  its  frosty  and  opaline 
colors  of  white,  scarlet,  and  blue,  in  brilliant  array. 
Little  has  been  written  about  the  Patterson  gla- 
cier, but  it  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  in  size 


GLA  CIERS.  245 

and  other  characteristics  in  all  Alaska.  Vessels 
from  San  Francisco  have  taken  whole  cargoes  of 
ice  from  these  Alaskan  glaciers  and  transported 
the  same  for  use  in  California.  There  seems  to 
be  no  reason  why  the  gathering  of  such  a  supply 
should  not  be  both  possible  and  profitable,  though 
ice  can  now  be  so  easily  manufactured  by  artificial 
means. 

The  fact  that  these  glaciers  are  slowly  decreas- 
ing in  size  leads  to  the  conclusion  that  the  ex- 
treme Arctic  temperature  in  the  north  is  slowly 
growing  to  be  less  intense.  Intelligent  captains 
of  whaleships  have  made  careful  observations  to 
a  like  effect.  It  was  once  tropical  in  the  Yukon 
valley,  —  of  that  there  is  evidence  enough;  who 
can  say  that  it  may  not  again  be  so  a  few  thou- 
sand years  hence  ? 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

Norwegian  Scenery.  —  Lonely  Navigation.  —  The  Marvels  of 
Takou  Inlet.  —  Hundreds  of  Icebergs.  —  Home  of  the  Frost 
King.  —  More  Gold  Deposits.  —  Snowstorm  among  the  Peaks. 
—  Juneau  the  Metropolis  of  Alaska.  —  Auk  and  Takou  In- 
dians. —  Manners  and  Customs.  —  Spartan  Habits.  —  Dis- 
posal of  Widows.  —  Duels.  —  Sacrificing  Slaves.  —  Hideous 
Customs  still  prevail. 

Before  reaching  Juneau  we  explored  Takou 
Inlet,  where  there  are  two  large  glaciers,  one  with 
a  moraine  before  its  foot,  the  other  reaching  the 
deep  water  with  its  face,  so  as  to  discharge  ice- 
bergs constantly.  The  bay  was  well  filled  with 
these,  some  of  which  were  larger  than  our  steamer 
(tlie  Corona),  and  all  were  of  such  intense  blue, 
mingled  with  dazzling  white,  as  to  recall  the  effect 
realized  in  the  Blue  Grotto  of  Capri.  This  berg- 
producing  glacier  was  corrugated  upon  its  surface 
in  a  remarkable  manner,  being  utterly  impassable 
to  human  feet.  It  was  nearly  a  mile  in  width  and 
its  length  indefinite;  we  doubt  if  it  has  ever  been 
explored.  A  thousand  ice  and  snow  fed  streams 
poured  into  the  bay  from  the  surrounding  moun- 
tains, which  completely  walled  in  the  broad  sheet 
of  water,  so  sprinkled  with  ice-sculpture  in  all 
manner  of  shapes.  The  ceaseless  music  of  falling 
water  was  the  only  noise  which  broke  the  silence 
of  the  scene.     A  cavalcade  of  fleecy  clouds,  kindly 


TAKOU  INLET.  247 

forgetting  to  precipitate  themselves  in  form  of  rain, 
floated  over  our  heads,  producing  delicate  ligiits  and 
shades,  with  creeping  shadows  upon  the  surround- 
ing mountains.  The  steamer's  abrupt  whistle  was 
echoed  with  mocking  hoarseness  from  the  sur- 
rounding cliffs,  causing  the  myriads  of  white- 
winged  wild  fowl  to  rise  from  the  icebergs  until 
the  air  was  filled  with  them  like  snowflakes.  How 
wonderful  it  was !  A  broad  clear  flood  of  sun- 
shine enveloped  the  whole  ;  everything  seemed  so 
serene,  so  grand,  the  sky  so  blue,  and  the  angels 
so  near.  It  was  all  as  magnificent  as  a  gorgeous 
dream,  to  the  thoughtful  observer  a  living  poem. 
Close  in  to  the  precipitous  cliffs  of  the  myrtle- 
green  hills  were  inky  shadows,  which  formed  the 
requisite  contrast  to  the  crystal  clearness  of  the 
surroundings.  For  thousands  of  years  this  glacial 
action  has  been  going  on,  the  story  of  the  earth  is 
so  old  ;  but  its  beauty  is  ever  young,  its  loveliness 
eternal. 

On  our  way  up  Gastineau  Channel  —  the  tide- 
waters of  which  have  a  rise  and  fall  of  sixteen 
feet  —  we  have  presented  to  us  veritable  Norwe- 
gian scenery,  under  a  pale  amethyst  sky  fringed 
at  the  horizon  with  orange  and  crimson  ;  now  glid- 
ing close  to  precipitous  cliffs  enlivened  by  silvery 
streams  leaping  down  their  sides,  and  now  passing 
the  mouths  of  inlets  winding  among  abrupt  moun- 
tains leading  no  one  knows  whither,  for  there  are 
no  maps  or  charts  of  these  lateral  channels.  The 
Indian  canoes  may  have  occasionally  penetrated 
them,  but  never  the  keel  of  the  white  man.     On 


248  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

the  left  stand  the  tall  peaks  of  Douglas  Island, 
and  on  the  right  the  jagged  Alps  of  the  mainland, 
both  rising  to  a  height  of  a  thousand  feet  or  more, 
on  the  continent  side  backed  b}'  elevations  still 
more  lofty.  The  Takou  River  flows  into  the  sea 
and  sfives  its  name  to  the  neighborhood.  Hei'e 
the  Hudson  Bay  Fur  Company  established  and 
maintained  a  trading-post  for  several  years.  All 
this  region  is  famous  for  its  game,  such  as  deer, 
bears,  caribou,  wolves,  foxes,  martens,  and  minks, 
together  with  the  abounding  big-horn  sheep.  In 
place  of  wool  these  latter  have  a  coat  somewhat 
like  the  red  deer,  and  except  in  the  size  of  their 
horns  they  resemble  our  domestic  sheep.  We 
are  told  that  this  district  is  also  rich  in  gold  placer 
mines,  and  according  to  Professor  Muir  it  must 
eventually  yield  extremely  profitable  results  to  in- 
telligent mining  enterprise.  In  many  localities 
the  placers  have  paid  for  years,  though  worked  by 
the  most  simple  means.  The  experience  of  Cali- 
fornia will  undoubtedly  be  repeated  in  Alaska; 
the  great  aggregate  of  gold  which  was  realized 
there  will  be  duplicated  here.  After  due  thought 
and  personal  observation  relative  to  the  subject, 
we  are  willing  to  stand  or  fall  upon  the  correct- 
ness of  this  prediction.  The  result  may  not  come 
in  the  next  year,  or  that  following,  but  it  will 
come  in  the  near  future.  Mining  north  of  54°  40' 
is  only  in  its  infancy  ;  its  growth  has  been  far 
more  rajiid,  however,  than  it  was  at  the  south, 
both  because  of  the  richness  of  the  mines,  and  be- 
cause the  business  of  mining  is,  and  will  continue 
to  be,  done  more  intelligently. 


JUNEAU.  249 

Just  before  reacliing  Juneau  a  singular  phenom- 
enon attracted  our  attention  ;  it  was  a  furious 
snowstorm  among  the  mountain  peaks,  while  all 
about  us  was  quite  calm  and  pleasant.  The  thick 
clouds  of  snow  Avere  driven  hither  and  thither,  from 
one  pinnacle  to  another,  writhing  and  twisting  like 
a  cyclone  or  water-spout  at  sea.  It  was  a  curious 
contrast,  the  storm  raging  in  those  far  upper  cur- 
rents, while  we  enjoyed  a  gracious  wealth  of  sun- 
shine in  a  temperature  of  65°  Fah. 

Jutieau,  located  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
southeast  of  Sitka,  and  about  three  hundred  north 
of  Fort  Wi'angel,  is  already  a  considerable  mining 
centre,  with  a  population  of  about  four  thousand, 
situated  not  far  from  Takou  district,  and  is  the 
depot  for  the  rich  quartz  and  placer  mines  which 
are  located  in  the  region  back  of  it.  The  site  of 
the  town  is  picturesque,  being  at  the  base  of  an 
abrupt  mountain  cliff  which  is  decked  with  spark- 
ling cascades.  We  were  told  that  there  is  a  rise 
and  fall  of  twenty- four  feet  in  the  tide  at  the 
wharf  of  Juneau,  but  think  perhaps  eighteen  feet 
would  be  nearer  correct.  The  winter  population  is 
swelled  by  the  influx  of  miners  when  the  placers 
are  not  worked  owing  to  snow  and  ice.  Truth 
compels  us  to  say  that  the  residents  here,  of  both 
sexes,  are  far  from  being  of  a  desirable  class.  The 
Indians  of  this  vicinity  are  of  the  Auk  and  Takou 
tribes;  good  traders  and  good  hunters,  but  enemies 
of  each  other,  though  not  given  to  open  hostility. 
The  native  women,  as  if  not  content  witii  the  nat- 
ural ugliness  which  has  been   liberally  bestowed 


250  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

upon  tbem  by  Providence,  besmear  their  faces  with 
a  compound  of  seal-oil  and  lampblack,  but  for 
what  possible  reason,  except  that,  it  is  aboriginal 
Alaska  fashion,  one  cannot  divine.  It  is  said  that 
this  is  a  sort  of  mourning  for  departed  relations  or 
friends ;  but  the  hilarity  of  those  thus  marked  was 
anything  but  an  indication  of  sorrow.  We  can 
well  remember  Yokohama  wives,  with  blackened 
teeth  and  shaved  eyebrows,  who  looked,  if  possi- 
ble, a  degree  worse  than  these  Alaskan  women. 
In  the  latter  case,  however,  the  wives  confessedly 
sought  to  make  themselves  hideous  to  prevent  jeal- 
ousy on  the  part  of  their  husbands  ;  but  the  native 
women  here  do  not  assign  any  plausible  reason 
for  smooching  themselves  in  this  offensive  manner. 
When  their  faces  are  washed,  a  circumstance  of 
rare  occurrence,  tl)ey  are  as  white  as  the  avenige 
of  white  people  who  are  exposed  to  an  out-of-door 
life.  It  is  not  the  practice  of  the  aborigines  of 
either  sex  to  wash  themselves  with  water.  They 
are  sometimes  seen  to  besmear  their  faces  and 
hands  with  oil,  which  they  carefully  wipe  off  with 
a  wisp  of  dry  grass,  or  other  substitute  for  the 
towel  of  civilization.  The  effect  is  to  make  the 
features  shine  like  varnished  mahogany  ;  but  as  to 
cleanliness  obtained  by  such  a  process,  that  does 
not  follow. 

If  it  were  possible  to  discover  a  soap  mine  here 
there  might  be  some  hopes  of  introducing  among 
the  natives  that  condition  which  common  accepta- 
tion places  next  to  godliness.  A  traveling  com- 
panion remarked  that  although  milk  and  honey 


FEMALE  EMBELLISHMENTS.  251 

could  not  be  said  to  flow  in  tliis  neighborhood,  oil 
does. 

Many  of  the  women,  like  those  of  the  South 
Sea  and  the  Malacca  Straits,  wear  nose  rings  and 
glittering  bracelets,  while  they  go  about  with  bare 
legs  and  feet.  The  author  has  seen  all  sorts  of 
rude  decorations  employed  by  savage  races,  but 
never  one  which  seemed  quite  so  ridiculous  or  so 
deforming  as  the  plug  which  many  of  these  women 
of  Alaska  wear  thrust  through  their  under  lips. 
The  plug  causes  them  to  drool  incessantly  through 
the  artificial  aperture,  though  it  is  partially  stopped 
by  a  piece  of  bone,  ivory,  or  wood,  formed  like  a 
large  cuff-button,  with  a  flat-spread  portion  in- 
side to  keep  it  in  position.  This  practice  is  com- 
menced in  youth,  the  plug  being  increased  in  size 
as  the  wearer  advances  in  age,  so  that  when  she 
becomes  aged  her  lower  lip  is  shockingly  deformed. 
It  is  gratifying  to  be  able  to  say  that  this  custom 
is  becoming  less  and  less  in  use  among  the  rising 
generation,  and  the  same  may  be  said  as  to  tattoo- 
ing the  chin  and  cheeks.  The  hands  and  feet  of 
the  women  are  so  small  as  to  be  noticeable  in  that 
respect. 

The  girls  and  boys  endure  great  physical  neg- 
lect in  their  youth,  so  that  only  the  strongest  are 
able  to  survive  their  childhood.  It  was  surprising 
to  see  children  of  tender  age  of  both  sexes  clothed 
only  in  a  single  cotton  shirt,  reaeliing  to  their 
knees,  bare-legged,  bare-footed,  and  bare-headed, 
yet  apparently  quite  comfortable,  while  our  woolen 
clothes  and  waterproofs  were  to  us  indispensable. 


252  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

We  wore  told  that  in  infancy  these  children  are 
dipped  every  morning  into  the  sea,  without  regard 
to  the  temperature,  or  season  of  the  year,  com- 
mencino;  the  operation  when  they  are  four  weeks 
old.  This  heroic,  Spartan  treatment  of  the  bath 
■will  probably  harden,  if  it  does  not  kill,  but  un- 
doubtedly the  latter  result  is  the  more  likely  of 
the  two.  The  adults  of  some  of  the  tribes  break 
holes  in  the  ice  in  midwinter,  and  bathe  with 
marvelous  fortitude,  not  for  purposes  of  cleanli- 
ness, but  declaring  that  it  makes  them  "  brave  and 
strong,  able  to  resist  the  cold,  and  to  live  long." 
The  next  hour,  however,  they  may  be  found  sit- 
ting on  their  hams  as  close  to  the  fire  in  the  mid- 
dle of  their  un ventilated  cabins  as  they  can  get, 
closely  wrapped  in  blankets,  head  and  all.  The 
prevalence  among  them  of  rheumatism  and  con- 
sumption shows  that  Nature  cannot  be  outraged 
with  impunity  even  by  half-civilized  Alaskans. 

The  natives  do  not  seem  to  know  anything 
about  medicine,  but  when  seriously  ill  they  call  in 
their  shaman  or  medicine-man,  and  submit  to  his 
wild  and  senseless  incantations,  a  process  which 
would  drive  a  civilized  patient  distracted.  Fifty 
years  ago  an  epidemic  of  small-pox  swept  away 
one  third  of  the  population  of  this  part  of  the 
North  Pacific  coast,  besides  which,  from  various 
causes,  the  number  in  the  several  tribes  is  steadily 
decreasing.  Vaccination  having  been  introduced, 
a  second  visit  of  the  dreaded  disease  just  men- 
tioned was  accompanied  with  a  very  much  smaller 
fatality.     A  scourge  known  as  black  measles  is  a 


RUM   THE  NATIVE'S  BANE.  2;33 

frequent  visitor  among  the  youthful  Alaskans,  and 
is  quite  as  fatal  as  small-pox. 

Strong  efforts  are  made  by  our  government 
oflBcials  to  keep  intoxicating  liquors  out  of  the 
Territory,  and  the  law  makes  them  strictly  con- 
traband, but  it  is  no  more  diflBeult  or  impossible 
to  smuggle  in  Alaska  than  it  is  in  New  York  or 
Boston.  There  are  plenty  of  irresponsible  whites 
ready  to  make  money  out  of  the  aborigines.  Rum 
is  the  native's  bane,  its  effect  upon  him  being  sin- 
gularly fatal ;  it  maddens  him,  even  slight  intoxi- 
cation means  to  him  delirium  and  all  its  conse- 
quences, wild  brutality  and  utter  demoralization. 
Molasses  is  sold  freely  to  them,  and  the  Indians 
have  learned  how  to  distill  rum  from  it,  so  that 
they  secretly  produce  a  vile  and  potent  intoxicant, 
in  spite  of  all  prohibition. 

When  a  native  husband  dies  his  brother's  or 
sister's  son,  according  to  their  custom,  must  marry 
the  widow,  but  if  there  is  no  male  relative  of  the 
husband's  living,  the  widow  may  then  choose  for 
herself.  If  the  individual  who  thus  falls  heir  to 
a  widow  does  not  fancy  the  conditions,  he  must 
buy  himself  off,  or  fight  the  widow's  nearest  male 
relative.  Oftentimes,  if  the  new  alliance  is  par- 
ticularly disagreeable,  the  victim  escajjcs  by  pay- 
ing so  much  cash  or  so  many  blankets.  There 
seems  to  be  no  hurt  to  a  native's  honor  that  ]K'cii- 
niary  consideration  will  not  promptly  heal.  Cor- 
poral punishment  is  considered  by  these  aborigines 
to  be  a  great  disgrace,  and  is  very  seldom  resorted 
to  even  with   rebellious   children.     Theft  is  not 


254  THE  SEW  ELDORADO. 

looked  upon  as  a  crime  ;  but  if  discovered,  tha 
thief  must  make  ample  restitution  ;  and  when  his 
peculation  is  known  lie  promptly  does  so  without 
question  or  murmur.  They  have  the  duel  as  a  de- 
cisive means  of  settling  family  feuds.  When  mat- 
ters have  come  to  the  last  resort,  there  is  no  se- 
cret about  the  matter.  The  two  combatants  fight 
publicly  with  knives,  their  friends  looking  on  and 
singing  songs  while  the  combat  lasts.  But  these 
duels,  the  same  as  with  many  other  earlier  savage 
practices,  are  now  nearly  obsolete.  Like  our 
Western  Indians,  their  method  of  war  was  the 
ambush  and  surprise,  and  like  them  they  scalped 
their  prisoners  and  subjected  them  to  savage  cru- 
elties. This  also  is  more  of  the  past  than  the 
present,  as  no  open  conflicts  would  now  be  per- 
mitted by  the  United  States  officials.  The  natives 
deck  themselves  with  paint,  —  yellow  ochre,  — 
and  look  very  much  like  the  Sioux  and  Apache 
Indians  in  this  respect.  A  century  ago  they  were 
armed  with  flint-capped  lances,  bows,  and  arrows, 
but  association  with  the  whites  has  now  supplied 
them  with  firearms.  The  old  style  of  native 
weapons  has  consequently  disappeared,  except  the 
lance  with  which  they  hunt  the  sea-otter.  Fire- 
arms they  do  not  use  in  this  occuj)ation,  fearing  to 
frighten  away  the  valuable  game  altogether.  They 
still  manufacture  bows  and  arrows  for  sale  as 
curiosities  to  visiting  strangers.  They  pride  them- 
selves upon  their  accomplishments  in  singing  and 
dancing,  but  which  to  civilized  ears  and  eyes  are 
only  the  grossest  caricatures.     In  these  notes  of 


i 


SLAVES.  255 

the  natives  we  refer  to  no  one  tribe,  but  to  the 
aborigines  of  Alaska  generally.  The  various 
tribes  of  course  differ  froni  each  other.  Those  most 
in  contact  with  the  whites,  having  abolished  many 
of  their  ancient  habits,  have  adopted  in  a  certain 
degree  such  customs  as  they  see  the  white  people 
follow.  The  holding  of  slaves  is  still  practiced 
among  them.  Formerly,  as  we  have  said,  one  or 
two  of  these  were  sacrificed  when  their  owner  died, 
if  he  was  a  chief,  in  order  that  he  might  be  well 
attended  in  the  new  sphere  upon  which  he  was 
entering  ;  but  this  practice  also  has  passed  away 
in  most  communities,  with  many  other  cruelties 
which  were  once  common.  These  slaves  are  gen- 
erally descendants  of  parents  who  were  taken  in 
battle  during  civil  wars,  though  they  are  also 
bought  and  sold  for  so  many  otter-skins,  or  so 
many  blankets.  Such  persons  are  always  submis- 
sive, and  accept  the  position  in  which  they  find 
themselves  as  a  matter  of  course.  This  enforced 
servitude  will  soon  be  entirely  abolished. 

Female  infanticide  has  not  been  uncommon  with 
some  tribes,  but  it  does  not  prevail  as  has  been 
represented  by  late  writers.  It  is  true  that  there 
have  been  cases  where  mothers,  dreading  to  bring 
up  their  girls  to  such  lives  of  hardship  as  they 
have  themselves  endured,  have  resorted  to  this 
desperate  alternative,  but  careful  inquiry  did  not 
satisfy  us  that  such  a  practice  now  prevails  if, 
indeed,  it  has  not  entirely  ceased.  In  common 
•with  nearly  all  semi-civilized  and  savage  races, 
the  native  Alaskans  regard  their  women  more  in 


256  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

the  light  of  slaves  than  as  help-mates,  and  nearly 
all  the  hard  work,  except  hunting  and  fisiiiiig,  falls 
to  their  share.  This  is  not  a  peculiarity  of  savage 
life,  after  all  ;  horses  and  mules  are  not  harder 
■worked  th;in  are  women  in  Germany  and  various 
parts  of  Europe.  The  writer  has  seen  women 
carrying  hods  of  bricks  and  mortar  up  long  lad- 
ders in  Munich,  while  their  husbands  drank  huge 
"schooners"  of  beer  and  smoked  tobacco  in  the 
nearest  groggery. 

Here  and  there  among  the  several  tribes,  strange, 
unnatural,  hideous  customs  are  still  extant,  rela- 
tive- to  wives  about  to  become  mothers,  and  as  to 
young  girls  arriving  at  the  age  of  puberty.  We 
realize,  however,  that  is  not  for  us  to  look  at  this 
people  through  the  lens  of  any  small  circum- 
scribed moial  code,  but  with  kindly,  hopeful 
views,  guided  by  a  due  consideration  of  their 
normal  condition.  The  conventionalities  of  civil- 
ization do  not  apply  ;  latitude  and  longitude  make 
broad  differences  as  to  what  constitutes  vice  and 
virtue,  reason  or  uni-eason.  Modern  instances  are 
inadequate  as  a  criterion  of  comparison.  One 
who  has  traveled  in  many  lands  has  learned  to  ex- 
pand his  horizon  of  judgment  to  accord  with  his 
geographical  experience. 

Notwithstanding  the  light  in  which  the  Alas- 
kan regards  his  women,  there  seems  to  be  a  uni- 
versal concession  made  to  them  in  all  matters  of 
trade,  wherein  they  undoubtedly  hold  the  veto 
power,  and  in  some  other  respects  their  domestic 
BjUthority  is  promptly  acknowledged.     Just  where 


POLYGAMOUS   WIVES.  257 

the  line  is  drawn  does  not  seem  to  be  clear  to  a 
stranger.  After  a  native  bad  sold  us  some  trifle, 
bis  wife  in  more  than  one  instance  came  and 
demanded  it  back  again,  carefully  refunding  the 
consideration  which  was  given  for  the  same.  To 
this  interference  the  husband  seemed  forced  to 
submit  in  silence,  —  forced  by  the  arbitrary  cus- 
tom of  his  tribe.  We  were  told  that  even  among 
themselves  an  agreement  amounted  to  nothing  at 
all,  as  they  claim  the  right,  and  exercise  it,  of 
undoing  any  contract  at  will,  provided  the  consid- 
eration which  passed  is  promptly  refunded.  Even 
the  white  traders  are  obliged  to  yield  to  this 
singular  idea  to  a  certain  extent,  for  the  sake  of 
peace. 

The  story  so  often  told  about  polygamous 
wives,  that  is  women  with  husbands  in  the  plural, 
cannot  be  absolutely  denied,  but  is  an  exaggera- 
tion of  facts.  Such  relations  we  were  told  did 
exist,  but  to  no  great  extent,  among  the  tribes  of 
Alaska. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

Aboriginal  Dwelliugs.  —  Mastodous  in  Alaska.  —  Few  Old  Peo 
pie  alive.  —  Abundance  of  Rain.  —  The  Wonderful  Treadwell 
Gold  Mine.  — Largest  Quartz  Crushing  Mill  in  the  World.  — 
Inexhaustible  Riches.  —  Other  Gold  Mines.  —  Tlie  Great 
Davidson  Glacier.  —  Pyramid  Harbor.  —  Native  Frauds. — 
The  Cliilcats.  —  Mammoth  Bear.  —  Salmon  Canneries. 

In  some  portions  of  the  country  the  aboriginal 
dwelliiig.s  are  constructed  partly  under  ground ; 
this  is  especially  the  case  in  the  far  north  among 
the  Eskimos  proper,  on  the  coast  of  the  Polar  Sea. 
Such  cabins  are  entered  by  a  tunnel  ten  feet  long, 
so  low  and  small  as  to  compel  the  occupants  to  creep 
upon  their  hands  and  knees  in  passing  through 
it.  'J'he  tunnel-entrance,  which  always  faces  the 
most  favorable  point,  is  covered  with  a  rude  shed 
to  protect  it  from  the  snow  and  the  severity  of  the 
weather.  The  cabins  are  conical  in  form,  cov- 
eretl  with  turf  and  mud,  a  hole  being  left  at  the 
top  to  permit  the  smoke  to  escape.  The  fire  is 
built  in  the  middle  of  the  apartment  on  the 
ground.  Around  the  space  left  for  this  purpose 
is  a  platform  of  a  few  inches  in  height  arranged 
for  living  and  sleeping  upon.  At  night,  in  ex- 
treme cold  weather,  a  flap  of  skins  is  so  arranged 
that  it  can  be  drawn  over  the  ojicning  in  the  roof 
which  serves  as  a  chimney,  and  thus,  the  entrance 
being  also  closed,  the  occupants  become  hermeti- 


MASTODONS.  •  259 

cally  sealed,  as  it  were,  thoroughly  outraging  all 
our  modern  ideas  of  ventihition.  Twelve  or 
fifteen  persons  are  often  found  together  in  such  a 
cabin  with  its  one  room,  where  the  decencies  of 
life  are  utterly  ignored,  and  where  the  stench  to 
civilized  nostrils  is  really  something  dreadful  to 
encounter. 

This  description  refers  to  the  winter  homes  of 
the  people,  where  they  hibernate  like  some  species 
of  wild  animals,  but  for  the  milder  portion  of  the 
year  the  Eskimos  are  nomadic,  traveling  hither 
and  thither,  seeking  the  most  favorable  locations 
for  hunting  and  fishing,  while  living  in  rudely 
constructed  camps.  They  use  tents  adapted  for 
this  itinerant  life,  made  from  prepared  walrus 
hides  supported  by  a  light  framework  of  wooden 
poles.  The  more  thrifty  supply  themselves  with 
canvas  tents  bought  of  the  whites,  as  being  handier 
for  use  and  transportation. 

Speaking  of  the  interior  of  the  countr}^  we  have 
the  authority  of  Mr.  C.  F.  Fowler,  late  agent  of 
the  Alaska  Fur  Company,  and  long  resident  in 
the  country,  and  of  Ex-Governor  Swineford,  both 
of  whom  have  carefully  investigated  the  subject, 
for  stating  that  there  exists  a  huge  species  of  ani- 
mals, believed  to  be  representatives  of  the  sup- 
posed extinct  mammoth,  found  in  herds  not  far 
from  the  headwaters  of  the  Snake  River,  on  the 
interior  plateaus  of  Alaska.  The  natives  call 
them  "  big-teeth "  because  of  the  size  of  their 
ivory  tusks.  Some  of  these,  weighing  over  two 
hundred    pounds    each,    were    from    animals    so 


260  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

lately  killed  as  to  still  have  flesh  upon  them,  and 
were  purchased  by  Mr.  Fowler,  who  brought  them 
to  the  coast.  These  mammoths  are  represented 
to  average  twenty  feet  in  height  and  over  thirty 
feet  in  length,  in  many  respects  resembling  ele- 
phants, the  body  being  covered  with  long,  coarse, 
reddish  liairs.  The  eyes  are  larger,  the  eai's  smaller, 
and  the  trunk  longer  and  more  slender  than  those 
of  the  average  elephant.  The  two  tusks  which 
Mr.  Fowler  brought  away  with  him  each  measured 
fifteen  feet  in  length. 

The  author  has  almost  universally  found  among 
savage  races  at  least  a  few  very  old  people  of 
both  sexes,  who  were  apparently  revered  and 
carefully  provided  for  by  their  descendants  and 
associates,  but  here  among  the  aborigines  aged 
persons  are  certainly  not  often  to  be  seen. 
Whether  it  is  that,  hardy  and  robust  as  they  gen- 
erally appear  to  be,  they  do  not,  as  a  rule,  live  to 
advanced  years,  or  that  a  summary  method  is 
adopted  to  get  rid  of  tiiem  after  they  have  out- 
lived their  usefulness,  it  is  impossible  to  say.  We 
were  told  that  such  is  certainly  the  case  with 
some  of  the  tribes  farthest  from  the  influence  and 
supervision  of  the  whites,  and  that  half  a  century 
ago  the  extremely  old,  being  considered  useless, 
were  frequently  "  disposed  "  of.  It  is  clear  enough 
that  there  is  nothing  in  the  climate  of  this  region 
in  any  way  inimical  to  health  and  longevity. 

The  women  of  the  Takou  district  are  very  ex- 
pert and  industrious.  They  occupy  a  large  por- 
tion  of   their  time  in    weaving   baskets  of  split 


RAINFALL.  2G1 

cedar,  far  exceeding  any  similar  Indian  work 
which  we  have  chanced  to  see  elsewhere,  both  in 
the  coloring  and  the  very  ingenious  comhination 
of  figures.  Some  of  these  baskets  are  so  closely 
woven  out  of  the  dried  inner  bark  of  the  willow- 
tree  that  they  will  hold  water  without  h>aking  ; 
the  author  also  saw  drinking-cups  thus  manufac- 
tured. Visitors  rarely  fail  to  bring  away  interest- 
ing specimens  of  native  work  in  this  particular 
line  ;  the  fine  straw  goods  of  Manila  do  not  ex- 
cel this  in  delicacy  and  beauty.  In  addition  to 
this  attractive  basket-work  from  the  hands  of  the 
women,  the  men  of  the  tribe  exhibit  their  natural 
skill  by  carving  silver  bracelets  (made  from  dol- 
lar and  half  dollar  coins),  miniature  totem-jDoles, 
horn  and  wooden  spoons,  baby  rattles  and  canoes, 
in  a  very  curious  and  original  manner.  Once  a 
fortnight,  during  the  summer  season,  on  the  ar- 
rival of  an  excursion  party  by  steamer  from  the 
south,  the  natives  are,  as  a  rule,  completely  cleared 
out  of  their  entire  stock  of  these  productions,  and 
they  do  not  fail  to  realize  fair  prices,  enabling 
them  to  live  very  comfortably. 

Though  Sitka  is  the  capital  of  the  Territory, 
Juneau  is  the  principal  settlement  and  headquar- 
ters of  the  mining  interests,  containing  over  seven 
hundred  white  residents.  We  have  seen  no  sta- 
tistics of  the  annual  rainfall  here,  but  can  well 
believe  it  to  be  what  a  certain  person  told  us  it 
was,  namely,  over  nine  feet.  It  seemed  to  us  that 
the  permanent  residents  should  be  web -footed. 
The  cause  of  this  humidity  's  very  evident.    There 


262  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

arises  from  the  warm  Japanese  Current  on  the 
coast  a  constant  and  profuse  moisture.  This  the 
winds  convey  bodily  against  the  fi'osty  sides  of 
the  neighboring  mountains,  and  then  it  is  precip- 
itated as  rain ;  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  it 
continues  for  weeks  together. 

There  is  compensation  even  in  the  fact  of  this 
large  annual  rainfall,  which  at  first  thought  seems 
to  be  such  an  objection  to  this  district.  The  gold- 
bearing  quartz  which  prevails  here  is  treated,  nec- 
essarily, by  what  is  known  as  the  wet  process,  re- 
quiring at  all  times  an  ample  supply  of  water. 
One  successful  superintendent  told  the  author  that 
ore  which  is  here  so  profitable  would  be  in  a  dry 
region,  like  that  of  some  portions  of  our  Western 
States,  worthless,  or  comparatively  so,  as  it  would 
have  to  be  ti'ansported  in  bulk  to  a  more  favor- 
able locality.  It  seems  to  require  two  rainy  days 
to  one  pleasant  one,  which  is  about  the  average 
proportion  in  the  year,  to  provide  sufficient  water 
to  w^ork  these  large  deposits  properly.  The  sys- 
tem of  disintegrating,  and  of  reclaiming  the  pre- 
cious metal  from  the  flint- like  combination  in 
whicii  it  is  held  is  marvelous  in  detail,  evincing 
the  rapid  progress  which  has  been  made  in  me- 
chanical and  chemical  processes  in  our  day. 

It  is  found  that  June,  July,  and  August  are  the 
favorable  months  for  the  traveler  to  turn  his  face 
towards  the  sliDres  of  Alaska,  this  being  the  sea-  ■ 
son  when  the  pleasant  weather  is  most  continu- 
ous. It  is  not  extremes  of  cold,  but  an  over-abun- 
dance  of  moisture  in  the  shape  of  rain,  which  one      I 


THE   TREAD  WELL   GOLD  MINE.  263 

must  prepare  for.  An  ample  waterproof  outside 
garment  will  be  found  at  times  very  serviceable. 

The  Tread  well  gold  mine,  just  opposite  Juneau, 
on  Douglas  Island,  is  undoubtedly  the  largest  in 
the  world,  running  at  the  present  time  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  stamps,  the  mill  and  machinery 
having  cost  over  half  a  million  dollars;  and  tiiough 
the  author  has  visited  the  mines  of  Colorado,  Mon- 
tana, California,  New  Zealand,  and  Australia,  he 
has  certainly  never  seen  its  superior  in  capacity 
and  golden  promise.  It  is  a  true  gold-bearing 
quartz  visible  at  the  surface,  four  hundred  and 
sixty-four  feet  in  width.  The  company  owns 
three  thousand  running  feet  upon  this  deposit,  — 
it  can  hardly  be  called  a  vein,  —  parts  of  which 
have  been  tunneled  and  shafted  simply  to  test  its 
extent,  showing  it  to  be  practically  inexhaustible, 
no  bottom  having  been  found  to  the  gold-bearing 
quartz,  nor  any  diminution  in  the  quality  of  the 
ore.  The  mill  is  run  upon  this  quartz  the  whole 
year,  but  as  it  is  owned  by  a  private  corporation, 
and  there  is  no  stock  for  sale,  the  exact  output  of 
the  mine  is  not  known.  The  writer  feefs  safe  in 
saying,  however,  that  no  such  body  of  gold-bearing 
quartz  is  known  to  be* in  existence  elsewhere. 

The  laborers  do  not  have  to  work  in  dark,  un- 
dergiound  channels;  all  is  above  ground,  and  in 
the  season  when  darkness  comes  it  is  dispelled  by 
electric  lights.  No  timbering  or  shafting  is  re- 
quired ;  it  is  simply  an  open  quarry.  Captain  John 
Codman,  after  visiting  the  mine,  writes:  "We 
walked  through  the  golden   streets  of  this  New 


264  THE   NEW  ELDORADO. 

Jerusalem,  with  golden  walls  on  either  side,  and 
wondered  what  men  could  do  with  so  much 
money."  It  is  not  a  little  confusing  to  a  stranger, 
when  he  first  enters  the  great  Treadwell  jNIill, 
to  be  greeted  by  the  deafening  cannonade  of  two 
hundred  and  forty  stamps.  Each  stamp  weighs 
nine  hundred  pounds,  and  the  crushing  capacity 
of  the  whole  mill  is  seven  hundred  and  twenty 
tons  per  da5\  The  gold  is  shipped  to  the  mint  in 
San  Francisco  in  the  form  of  bricks  worth  from 
fifteen  to  eighteen  thousand  dollars  each. 

Douglas  Island  was  named  by  Vancouver  in 
honor  of  his  friend  the  Bishop  of  Salisbury,  and  is 
eighteen  miles  long  by  about  ten  in  width.  This 
remarkable  quartz  vein  is  believed  to  run  the 
whole  length,  though  it  is  not  alwaj^s  visible  at 
the  surface.  Governor  Swiiieford,  in  one  of  ins 
annual  reports,  expresses  his  belief  that  ere  long 
the  gold  produced  in  this  section  alone  will  exceed 
annuall}'  the  amount  which  was  paid  to  Russia 
for  the  whole  of  Alaska.  This  island,  like  Bara- 
noff  upon  which  Sitka  is  situated,  is  absolutely 
seamed  with  gold-bearing  quartz,  and  has  been 
carefully  prospected  and  recorded  by  people  inter- 
ested in  mining.  Three  hundred  laborers  are  regu- 
larly employed  at  the  Treadwell  Mill,  whose  seven 
owners  are  opulent  citizens  of  San  Francisco.  Tiie 
work  is  prosecuted  with  great  system  and  intelli- 
gence. The  quartz  of  this  mine  is  not  so  rich  as 
that  of  many  others,  yielding  on  an  average  less^ 
than  ten  dollars  to  the  ton,  but  it  is  so  immense 
in   quantitv,   and   is   so    easily    worked,   that    th( 


SILVER  BOW  BASIN.  265 

aggregate  yield  of  the  precious  metal  is  indeed 
remarkable.  The  mill  turned  out  in  the  first 
twelve  months  after  it  was  started  seven  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  dollars  in  bullion,  and  is  prob- 
ably producing  at  this  writing  three  times  that 
amount  yearly. 

The  mine  is  admirably  situated  for  the  pur- 
pose of  receiving  or  shipping  freight,  as  vessels 
drawing  twenty  feet  of  water  can  lie  alongside  of 
the  rocks  which  form  the  natural  shore  less  than 
one  hundred  yards  from  the  quartz  mill.  We 
were  informed  that  sixteen  million  dollars  have 
been  offered  and  refused  for  this  property.  The 
would-be  purchasers  were  members  of  a  French 
syndicate.  The  agent  says  that  the  owners  have 
but  one  price,  namely,  twenty-five  million  dol- 
lars, and  they  are  in  no  haste  to  part  with  their 
property  even  at  that  sum.  On  the  mainland,  just 
across  the  channel  from  Douglas  Island,  three  or 
four  miles  back  of  Juneau,  is  Silver  Bow  Basin, 
where  there  are  gold  deposits  of  vast  extent  and 
richness.  Here  quite  a  population  is  engaged  in 
placer  and  quartz  mining.  The  miners  present 
a  motley  crowd  with  their  picks,  shovels,  and  red 
shirts,  many  with  a  stump  tobacco  pipe  between 
their  lips,  and  all  witji  eager  faces. 

A  spacious  and  thoroughly  equipped  quartz  mill 
is  being  erected  by  a  Boston  company  of  capitalists 
for  the  purpose  of  developing  a  large  property 
which  it  is  thought  will  nearly  equal  the  Tread- 
well  in  its  output  of  the  precious  metal.  This  is 
known  as  the  Nowell  mine,  and  it  is  said  that  the 


266  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

quartz  assays  one  hundred  dollars  and  over  to  the 
ton.  Silver  Bow  Basin  is  a  small  round  valley  ly- 
ing in  the  hip  of  tiie  mountains,  accessible  through 
a  deep  gulch  behind  the  town.  It  is  surrounded 
by  noisy  waterfalls,  which  supply  just  the  needed 
power  for  manipulating  the  gold  quartz.  Across 
the  range  is  another  rich  mineral  locality,  known 
as  Dix  Bow  Basin. 

On  Admiralty  Islg^nd,  near  the  northwest  end  of 
Douglas  Island,  opposite  Takou  Inlet,  there  has 
lately  been  discovered  several  gold  deposits  which 
are  owned  by  a  Boston  company.  The  prospect- 
ings  upon  some  of  this  well-defined  vein  liave 
developed  a  percentage  of  gold  to  the  ton  so  large 
that  we  hesitate  to  specify  it.  "  Thirty  years 
ago,"  said  Mr.  Thomas  S.  Nowell  to  us,  "the 
mines  of  Alaska  would  have  proved  comparatively 
valueless ;  the  machinery  and  process  that  are 
now  so  successfully  applied  to  reducing  the  ores 
were  then  unknown.  The  great  econom}'  and 
consequent  profit  is  derived  from  late  discoveries 
which  are  now  perfected,  producing  machinery 
which  works  as  though  it  had  the  power  of 
thought." 

The  names  of  several  other  profitable  mining 
enterprises  in  this  vicinity  might  be  given,  but  we 
have  said  enough  to  indicate  the  great  mineral 
wealth  of  this  portion  of  the  Territory,  and  to 
justify  our  title  of  Thp:  New  Eldorado.  There 
are  abundant  gold  indications  all  along  the  coast, 
as  well  as  upon  the  islands.  In  the  sands  of  any 
considerable  stream  between  Cape  Fox  and  Cook's 


INEXHAUSTIBLE  RICHES.  267 

Inlet  the  "color"  of  gold  can  be  obtained  by  the 
simple  process  of  panning.  The  question  is  not 
where  gold  can  be  found  in  Alaska,  for  it  seems 
to  be  wonderfully  and  abundantly  distributed,  but 
as  to  what  localities  \^ill  best  pay  to  expend 
capital  in  developing.  A  number  of  abandoned 
claims  show  that  the  failure  to  realize  a  satisfac- 
tory profit  in  gold  mining  by  eager,  impatient, 
and  unreasonable  individual  seekers  without  proper 
machinery  is  as  frequent  as  in  any  other  business 
enterprise  awkwardly  planned.  This  is  as  appar- 
ent in  Africa,  Australia,  and  California  as  it  is  in 
this  region.  The  Treadwell  mine  on  Douglas 
Island  is  in  latitude  58°  16'  north,  just  about  on  a 
line  with  Edinburgh,  Scotland. 

We  quote  once  more  Mr.  Nowell's  own  words  : 
"  The  mountains  of  Alaska  abound  in  gold-bear- 
ing quartz,  the  extent  of  their  deposits  exceeding 
any  similar  discoveries  in  the  world.  There  is 
without  doubt  more  gold-bearing  quartz  on  Doug- 
las Island  alone,  which  can  be  worked  at  a  hand- 
some profit,  than  ten  thousand  stamps  could  crush 
in  a  century ;  a  well-defined  vein  from  two  to  six 
hundred  feet  wide  traversing  the  island  for  at  least 
from  six  to  eight  miles." 

There  is  a  missionary  family,  supported  by  the 
Quaker  persuasion,  located  at  Douglas  Island, 
whose  earnest  effort  in  civilizing  and  teaching 
the  natives  has  been  crowned  with  considerable 
success.  The  self-abnegation  and  conscientious 
labor  of  these  people  are  truly  worthy  of  all  com- 
mendation. 


268  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

Soon  after  leaving  Jnnean,  when  near  the  head 
of  Lynn  Channel,  the  grand  Davidson  glacier 
comes  into  view,  filling  the  space  between  two 
lofty  mountains.  It  measures  twelve  hundred  feet 
high  by  some  three  miles  in  breadth,  being  as 
wide  as  a  frozen  sea  and  as  deep  as  the  ocean. 
While  looking  upon  it  one  is  overawed  by  a  sense 
of  its  immensity  and  grandeur,  as  it  seems  hang- 
ing, poised,  ready  to  drop  into  the  fathomless  sea. 
Where  we  pass  it  there  intervenes  a  terminal  mo- 
raine overgrown  witli  trees  and  green  foliage,  which 
contrasts  vividly  with  the  icy  background  formed 
by  the  glacier.  The  glaciers  of  Europe  are  mere 
pygmies  in  comparison  with  this  marvel,  which  is 
named  after  Professor  Davidson,  who  has  carefully 
explored  and  described  it.  Both  the  Muir  and 
Davidson  glaciers  are  spui's  of  the  same  great  ice- 
field, which  has  an  unbroken  expanse  large  enough 
to  lie  over  the  whole  republic  of  Switzerland. 
The  ^luir  glacier  will  be  reached  presently  in 
Glacier  Bay. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  Davidson  glacier  we  are 
in  Pyramid  Harbor.  This  is  the  region  of  the 
Chilcats,  who  were  formerly  one  of  the  most 
warlike  tribes  in  the  Territory,  but  who  seem 
to  have  outlived  their  belligerent  propensities. 
Th(nr  rude,  but  picturesque  cabins  dot  the  neigh- 
boring shore.  The  little  settlement  here  consists 
mostly  of  bark  huts  and  a  substantial  trader's 
store,  together  with  an  extensive  and  successful 
fish -cannery.  The  product  of  the  latter  is  over 
a   million   pounds  of   fish  per  annum,  the  whole    | 


THE   CHILCATS.  269 

being  engaged  for  1889  to  a  Liverpool  firm.  This 
amount  is  shipped  in  seventy  thousand  cases  of 
about  fifty  pounds  each  ;  the  fish  are  packed  in  tins 
holding  a  pound  each.  This  is  an  average  amount 
as  regards  various  factories  on  the  coast,  though 
some  very  much  exceed  it.  The  Indians  now 
cheerfully  accept  employment  from  the  whites, 
and  gladly  receive  the  regular  wages  which  may 
be  agreed  upon.  They  appear  to  be  the  best  carv- 
ers on  the  coast,  and  have  an  abundance  of  their 
handiwork  to  sell  to  the  interested  white  visitors. 
Tliese  articles  consist  of  carvings  in  ivory  (walrus' 
teeth),  decorated  sheep-horns,  copper  and  silver 
bracelets,  bows,  arrows,  and  spearheads.  As  en- 
gravers on  copper  and  silver  the  Chilcats  excel 
all  other  people  of  the  Northwest.  Some  of  their 
women  wear  a  dozen  narrow  bracelets  on  each 
arm,  all  of  home  manufacture.  They  are  also 
skillful  in  making  ear-rings,  and  ornamental  combs 
out  of  ivoiy  and  sheep's  horn.  As  successful 
imitators  they  are  remarkable,  and  will  almost 
exactly  reproduce  any  design  which  is  given  to 
them  as  a  pattern.  It  seems  strange  tliat  so  ag- 
gressive and  warlike  a  tribe  should  be  skilled  in 
carving  aud  many  mechanical  productions. 

Certain  people  have  bestowed  nuKh  honest  but 
needless  sympathy  upon  these  "poor  abused  In- 
dians." Such  persons  may  be  assured  that  they 
are  amply  able  to  look  out  for  themselves  and  their 
own  interests,  as  regards  all  material  matters. 
No  white  man  can  get  any  advantage  over  an 
Alaskan  native   in  the   way  of  trade ;   they  are 


270  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

sharpness  itself  in  such  things.  For  instance, 
these  Chilcats  a  few  years  since  observed  that 
the  white  traders  were  particularly  desirous  of 
obtaining  black  fox  skins,  and  that  for  such  pelts 
they  would  willingly  pay  a  handsome  advance 
over  skins  of  other  colors;  a  fine  skin  of  tliis 
sort  bringing  as  high  as  thirty  dollars,  while  the 
common  red  ones  were  not  worth  (piarter  of  that 
sum.  The  innocent  natives  soon  began  to  pro- 
duce the  black  skins  in  large  quantities  and  re- 
ceived their  pay  accordingly.  Surprise  being  at 
last  excited  by  the  remarkable  abundance  of  the 
black  pelts,  an  explanation  of  the  cause  was  sought, 
when  it  was  finally  discovered  that  by  a  secret 
process  of  dyeing  the  natives  had  made  the  red 
fox  skins  temporarily  into  black.  This  was  done  so 
cunningly  that  nothing  but  a  careful  examination 
would  detect  the  outrageous  cheat,  and  not  anti- 
cipating anything  of  the  kind  the  traders  were 
not  on  their  guard.  Of  course  no  dyeing  process 
which  they  possessed  was  of  a  permanent  nature 
as  applied  to  pelts,  and  these  black  furs  when  they 
came  to  be  prepared  for  market  rapidly  resumed 
their  natural  color.  When  charged  with  this  gross 
deception,  the  Chilcats  assumed  the  most  innocent 
expression  and  d^'uied  any  knowledge  whatever  in 
the  premises,  only  saying :  "  Fox,  him  get  black 
before  him  caught,"  thus  lying  concerning  their 
trickery  as  volubly  as  any  white  rogue  might  have 
done. 

We  are  told  of  several  of  these  tricks  played  off 
by  the  "poor  abused  Indians,"  one  instance  of 


CHILCAT  "APTITUDE:'  271 

which  we  remember  as  having  occurred  at  Fort 
Wrangel,  ilUistrating  the  "  aptitude  "  of  the  abo- 
rigines, not  to  give  it  any  harder  name.  It  seems 
that  a  kindly  disposed  missionary,  by  exercis- 
ing great  patience,  had  taught  some  Indians  to 
read  and  write,  and  in  the  consciousness  of  his 
own  intentions  felt  amply  paid  by  the  goodly 
progress  of  his  pupils.  One  of  these  young  men, 
not  over  twenty  yeai'S  of  age,  was  especially  curi- 
ous about  arithmetic,  and  made  considerable  prog- 
ress in  figures  in  a  very  short  time.  He  was  soon 
after  hired  by  the  superintendent  of  a  fish-can- 
ning establishment  as  a  special  assistant,  with 
good  wages.  Being  given  a  note  or  due-bill  of 
twenty-five  dollars  by  his  employer,  he  quickly 
saw  his  chance,  and  adroitly  raised  the  figures  to 
two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  got  the  bill  cashed 
at  one  of  the  neighboring  trading  establishments, 
and  suddenly  disappeared  with  the  proceeds  there- 
of.    He  has  not  since  been  seen. 

The  Chilcats  have,  until  within  a  few  years, 
forcibly  kept  the  natives  of  the  interior  away  froth 
the  coast  and  the  white  men,  thus  monopolizing 
the  land  fur-trade  by  acting  as  middle-men,  so  to 
speak,  but  this  embargo  is  now  entirely  removed. 
By  this  and  some  other  means,  being  naturally 
thrifty  and  saving,  they  have  come  to  be  the  rich- 
est and  most  independent  tribe  of  Indians  in  the 
Northwest.  Their  women  manufacture  the  famous 
and  really  very  fine  Chilcat  blankets,  which  are 
slowly  woven  by  hand  on  a  primitive  loom.  The 
base  of  these  blankets  is  the   long  fleece  of  the 


272  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

mountain  goats,  which  is  tastefully  manufactured 
and  ornamented,  reminding  one  of  the  domestic 
Oriental  work  offered  for  sale  in  tlie  Turkish 
bazaars  of  Cairo.  The  Chilcat  blankets  readily 
bring  forty  dollars  apiece,  and  the  best  of  them 
are  sold  for  double  that  sum.  They  are  ordinarily 
about  six  feet  long  b}^  four  broad,  having  in  addi- 
tion a  long,  ornamental  fringe  at  each  end.  The 
colors  are  black,  white,  yellow,  and  a  dull  blue, 
the  coloring  matter  being  also  of  native  manufac- 
ture. These  blankets  used  to  be  heirlooms  in 
the  aboriginal  families  before  the  cheap  woolens 
of  commerce  were  introduced  among  them,  since 
when  they  have  become  annually  more  and  more 
scarce,  and  are  now  purchased  only  by  visitors  to 
carry  away  as  curiosities.  Even  at  the  highest 
price  realized  for  them,  if  the  maker's  time  were 
to  be  reckoned  of  any  account,  the  sum  is  a  sorry 
pittance  for  one  of  these  blankets,  which  to  prop- 
erly finish  will  employ  six  months  of  a  woman's 
time. 
*Pyramid  Harbor,  in  latitude  59°  11'  north,  is 
the  most  northerly  point  reached  by  the  excursion 
steamers  on  this  part  of  the  coast.  The  place 
takes  its  name  from  a  prominent  conical  forma- 
tion upon  an  island  within  its  borders.  The  clus- 
ter of  houses,  cabins,  and  the  canning  factory 
which  mjike  up  what  is  known  as  Pyramid  Har- 
bor are  situated  uj)on  a  broad  plateau  on  a  sandy 
beach,  at  the  foot  of  a  mountain  which  towers 
three  thousand  feet  heaven waid,  covered  with 
trees  to  its  summit  and   beautified   by  a  bright, 


PYRAMID   HARBOR.  273 

dashing  waterfall  visible  from  near  the  apex  to 
the  bottom.  This  affords  both  a  healthful  water 
supply  for  domestic  use  and  a  motor  for  the  fac- 
tory. The  broad  plateau,  three  or  four  miles  iu 
length  and  one  wide,  grass-grown,  iind  covered  with 
low  shrubbery,  is  beautified  by  a  floral  display  of 
great  variety,  including  wild  roses,  sweet  peas, 
columbines,  white  clover,  and  other  varieties,  hav- 
ing also  an  unlimited  amount  of  berries.  The 
wide  mouth  of  the  Chilcat  River,  which  makes 
into  the  bay  a  mile  from  this  settlement,  is  a 
swarming  place  for  the  salmon.  The  river  is 
very  shallow  and  not  navigable  for  anything  but 
native  canoes.  Twenty  miles  inland  on  its  biink 
is  a  large,  independent  settlement  of  the  Chilcat 
tribe. 

On  the  mountain  side,  nearly  half  way  up,  just 
back  of  the  steamboat  landing  at  Pyramid  Har- 
bor, there  is  a  small  plateau  not  more  than  ten  or 
fifteen  feet  square,  entirely  bare  of  timber,  but 
closely  surrounded  by  dense  woods.  This  spot  is 
quite  inaccessible  to  human  feet.  A  large  cinna- 
mon bear  shows  himself  here  often  during  the  day- 
time. A  clear,  sparkling  stream  of  water  comes 
fi'om  far  above  this  place,  rushing  by  one  corner 
of  it,  and  hither  comes  Bruin  to  slake  his  thirst. 
He  knows  very  well  that  he  is  out  of  the  hunter's 
reach,  and  he  is  actually  beyond  rifle  range.  He 
looks  at  that  distance  skyward  no  bigger  than  a 
good-sized  Newfoundland  dog,  but  to  appear  of 
such  proportions  to  us  so  far  below  he  must  be  a 
very  monster.     Several  attempts  have  been  made 


274  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

by  the  whites  to  get  near  enough  to  shoot  him,  but 
without  success.  The  bear  sat  upon  his  haunches 
when  we  saw  hiui  and  peered  down  upon  us  as 
we  stood  on  the  deck  of  the  Corona  with  a 
cool  insoU-nee  which  must  have  been  born  of  a 
consciousness  of  entire  safety.  By  usuig  a  good 
glass  his  main  moth  size  became  more  apparent, 
showing  that  even  when  upon  his  haunches  with 
his  body  erect  he  must  have  measured  about  six 
feet  in  height. 

A  settlement  opposite  to  Pyramid  Harbor  is 
known  as  Chilcat,  where  two  large  fish-canning 
establishments  afford  profitable  occupation  for 
quite  a  number  of  the  residents,  both  natives 
and  whites.  New  canning  factories  are  being  lo- 
cated in  several  places  between  Dixon  Entrance 
and  this  point,  the  supply  of  salmon  being  abso- 
lutely unlimited ;  the  demand  only  is  to  be  con- 
sidered. The  quantity  shipped  from  liere  annu- 
ally to  San  Francisco  for  distribution  is  enormous, 
almost  beyond  belief,  and  is  steadily  increasing. 
In  addition  to  this  profitable  and  important  indus- 
try twelve  thousand  barrels  of  salted  salmon  were 
exported  last  year  from  Alaska  to  southern  Pacific 
ports.  The  scenery  about  Pyramid  Harbor  is 
arctic :  the  precipitous  cliffs  are  covered  with  snow 
on  their  tops^  and  range  upon  range  of  snowy 
mountains  frame  in  the  bay. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Glacier  Bay.  —  More  Ice  Bays. —  Majestic  Front  of  the  Muir 
Gliicier.  —  The  Bombardmeut  of  the  Glacier.  —  One  of  the 
Grandest  Sights  in  the  World.  — A  Moving  River  of  Ice.  — 
Tlie  Natives.  —  Abundance  of  Fish.  —  Native  Cooking. — 
Wild  Berries.  —  Hooniah  Tribe.  —  Copper  Mines.  —  An  Iron 
Mountain.  —  Coal  Mines. 

From  Pyramid  Harbor  we  turn  southward  for  a 
short  distance,  and  then  agaiu  towards  the  north, 
soon  reaching  the  ice-strewn  waters  of  Ghicier 
Bay,  an  open  expanse  of  ocean  fully  thirty  miles 
long  by  from  ten  to  twelve  in  width.  This  local- 
ity is  thus  named  because  of  the  number  of  gla- 
ciers which  descend  into  it  from  the  southern 
verge  of  the  frozen  region.  The  still  surface  of 
the  water  reflects  the  Alpine  scenery  like  bur- 
nished silver,  only  ruffled  now  and  again  by  the 
icebergs  launched  from  the  majestic  front  of  the 
Muir  glacier,  which  fall  with  an  explosion  like  the 
blasting  of  rocks  in  a  stone  quarry.  It  is  curious 
to  watch  these  enormous  masses  of  ice  rise  to  the 
surface  after  their  first  deep  plunge,  see  them  set- 
tle and  rise  again  until  their  equilibrium  becomes 
fixed,  and  then  slowly  float  away  with  their  impe- 
rial colors  displayed,  to  join  the  fleet  gone  before. 
They  seem  to  exhibit  in  their  vivid  colors  a  radiant 
joy  at  release  from  long  imprisonment.  It  was  a 
gloriously  bright  day  on  which  we  approached  the 


276  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

Muir  glacier,  the  sun  pouring  down  its  wealth  of 
light  and  warmth  to  temper  the  crisp  morning  air. 
A  side-wheel  steamer  could  not  have  made  head- 
way among  the  hundreds  of  floating  icebergs  ;  but 
the  Corona  wound  in  and  out  among  them  in 
safety,  piloted  by  Captain  Carroll's  skillful  direc- 
tion, occasionally  leaving  the  color  of  her  painted 
hull  along  their  sides  by  chafing  them. 

The  ship  was  brought  within  fifty  rods  of  the 
glacier's  threatening  front,  which  was  about  three 
hundred  feet  in  height  above  the  water,  standing 
like  a  frozen  Niagara,  and  the  lead  showed  it  to 
extend  four  hundred  feet  below  the  surface,  mak- 
ing an  figgregate  of  seven  hundred  feet  from  top 
to  bottom.  What  a  mighty  power  was  hidden 
behind  the  dazzling  drapery  of  its  iridescent  fa- 
cade! 

Standing  upon  its  surface  a  short  way  inland, 
one  could  hear  from  its  depths  what  seemed  like 
shrieks  and  groans  of  maddened  spirits  torturing 
eacli  other,  as  the  huge  mass  was  crowded  more 
and  more  compactly  between  the  two  abutting 
mountains  of  rock  through  which  it  found  its  out- 
let. Tlie  roar  of  artillery  upon  a  battlefield  could 
hardly  be  more  deafening  or  incessant  than  were 
the  thrilling  reports  caused  by  the  falling  of  vast 
masses  of  ice  from  the  glacier's  front.  Nothing 
could  be  grander  or  more  impressive  than  this 
steady  bombardment  from  the  ice  mountain  in  its 
resistless  progress  towards  the  sea.  Neither  Nor- 
way nor  Switzerland  have  any  glacial  or  arctic 
scenery  that  can  approach  this  bay  in  its  frigid 


GLACIER  BAY.  211 

splendor.  No  natives  are  to  be  seen  ;  not  a  sound 
falls  upon  the  ear  save  the  hoarse  cannonading  of 
the  glacier.  The  white,  ghostly  hue  of  the  sur- 
roundings are  startling  ;  even  the  dayhght  assumes 
a  certain  weird,  bhiish  tint,  heiglitened  by  shim- 
mering rvfflections  from  the  ice-chasms  and  crev- 
ices. 

The  author,  in  a  varied  experience  of  many  parts 
of  the  world,  recalls  but  two  other  occasions  which 
affected  him  so  powerfully  as  this  first  visit  to 
Glacier  Bay  in  Alaska,  namely:  witnessing  the 
sun  rise  over  the  vast  Himalayan  range,  the  roof- 
tree  of  the  globe,  at  Darjeeling,  in  northern  In- 
dia, and  the  view  of  the  midnight  sun  from  the 
North  Cape  in  Norway,  as  it  hung  over  the  Polar 
Sea.  Our  power  of  appreciation  is  limitless, 
though  that  of  description  is  circumscribed.  Here 
both  are  challenged  to  their  utmost  capacity. 
Words  are  insufficient ;  pen  and  pencil  inadequate 
to  convey  the  grandeur  and  fascination  of  the 
scene. 

Lieutenant  Frederick  Schwatka  t«lls  us  that  a 
veteran  traveler  said  to  him  as  they  stood  together 
on  the  ship's  deck  regarding  the  scenery  in  this 
remarkable  bay  :  "  You  can  take  just  what  you 
see  here  and  put  it  down  on  Switzerland,  and  it 
will  hide  all  there  is  of  mountain  scenery  in  Eu- 
rope. I  have  been  all  over  the  world,  but  you  are 
now  looking  at  a  scene  that  has  not  its  parallel 
elsewhere  on  the  globe."  The  estimate  has  been 
made  by  experienced  persons  that  five  thousand 
living  glaciers,  of  greater  or  less  dimensions,  are 


278  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

now  steadily  traveling  clown  towards  the  sea  in 
this  vast  Territory  of  Ahxska. 

Glacier  Bay  is  always  full  of  vagrant  icebergs 
which  are  of  blinding  whiteness  when  under  the 
glare  of  the  midday  sun.  The  variety  of  colors 
emitted  by  the  bergs  is  charming  to  the  eye,  the 
prevailing  hues  being  crystal-white  mingled  with 
azure  blue,  a  faint  touch  of  pink  appearing  here 
and  there,  together  with  dainty  gleams  of  orange- 
yellow.  Where  a  large  smooth  surface  is  pre- 
sented, the  prismatic  shimmering  is  like  that  of 
starlight  upon  the  water.  The  variety  in  the 
shape  of  the  bergs  is  infinite.  Some  of  them  ex- 
hibit singularly  correct  architectural  lines,  some 
resemble  ruins  of  ancient  castles  on  the  Rhine, 
others,  with  a  little  help  of  the  imagination,  repre- 
sent wild  animals  in  various  attitudes,  or  hideous 
Chinese  idols  witli  open  mouths  and  lolling 
tiongues.  Sea  birds  hover  over  and  light  in  large 
numbers  upon  the  opalescent  masses.  Ranging 
alongside  of  a  tall  berg,  a  fall  and  tackle  was  rigged 
out  from  the  yard-arm  of  our  steamer,  while  men 
were  sent  to  cut  large  blocks  of  ice  from  the  hill 
of  frozen  water.  Two  weighing  nearly  a  ton  each 
were  hoisted  on  board  to  keep  our  larder  cool  and 
fill  the  ship's  ice-cliest.  The  ice  was  pure  as  crys- 
tal, and  fresh  as  a  mountain  stream. 

"  Why  don't  you  go  nearer  to  the  glacier?" 
asked  one  of  the  passengers  of  the  captain. 

"  Because  I  think  we  are  quite  near  enough," 
was  the  quiet  reply. 

"  Those  avalanches  don't  reach  more  than  thirty  m 


AN  UNPLEASANT  EXPERIENCE.  279 

or  forty  feet  from  the  face  of  the  ice  cliff,"  con- 
tinued tlie  passenger. 

'^  True,"  was  the  reply,  "  but  they  do  not  con- 
constitute  the  only  discluirges  from  the  glacier." 

"  Why,  where  else  can  they  occur  but  from  the 
face,"  asked  the  inquirer. 

"  Shall  I  tell  you  a  certain  experience  which 
I  had  near  this  very  spot?"  asked  the  captain. 

"  Whiit  was  it?"  inquired  a  dozen  eager  voices. 

And  then  the  captain  told  the  group  of  listeners 
that  when  the  Corona  was  here  last  season,  laying 
just  off  the  Muir  glacier,  those  on  board  were 
startled  by  the  sudden  appearance  of  a  huge  mass 
of  dark  crystal,  as  large  as  the  steamer  itself, 
which  shot  up  from  the  depths  and  tossed  the 
ship  as  though  it  had  been  an  egg-shell.  Passen- 
gers were  thrown  hither  and  thither,  and  some 
were  severely  bruised.  It  was  a  berg  broken  off 
from  the  bottom  of  the  ice  mountain,  four  hun- 
dred feet  below  the  surface  of  the  water.  Had  it 
struck  the  ship  in  its  upward  passage,  immediate 
destruction  must  have  followed,  and  the  steamer 
would  have  sunk  as  quickly  as  though  she  had 
been  blown  up  with  gunpowder. 

Mount  Crillon,  Mount  La  Perouse,  and  Mount 
Fairweatlier  are  all  visible  from  Glacier  Bay,  the 
latter  rising  in  the  northwest  so  high  above  the 
intervening  hills  that  all  its  snowy  pinnacles  are 
clearly  defined. 

The  great  glacier  which  forms  the  prominent 
feature  of  this  bay  was  named  after  Professor 
Muir,  state  geologist  of  California.     It  has  a  front 


280  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

three  miles  wide,  and  has  been  explored  to  a  dis- 
tance of  forty  miles  inland.  The  top  surface  is 
tossed  and  broken  by  broad  fissures  so  as  to  be 
impassable,  unless  one  goes  back  at  least  a  mile 
from  its  toppling  and  dangerous  front.  This 
glacier  exceeds  anything  of  the  sort  this  side  of 
the  polar  zone,  and  is  fed  by  fifteen  other  glaciers, 
so  far  as  it  has  been  explored,  towards  its  source 
among  the  lofty  snow-fields.  In  walking  upon  its 
surface  great  care  should  be  observed.  A  thin 
crust  of  snow  and  half-melted  ice  is  often  formed 
over  fissures  into  which  one  may  easily  be  precipi- 
tated. One  of  the  party  from  the  Corona,  a  lad}^ 
was  thus  engulfed  for  a  moment,  escaping,  how- 
ever, with  a  thorough  wetting  and  some  slight 
bruises,  together  with  a  very  large  measure  of 
fright.  This  lady  was  temporarily  in  charge  of 
the  pilot  of  the  steamer,  hence  it  was  very  gener- 
ally remarked  that  he  was  doubtless  a  good  ship's 
pilot,  but  a  poor  one  for  navigating  glaciers. 

From  carefully  conducted  measurements  it  is 
known  that  this  immense  body — frost-bound, 
transparent,  and  resistless  —  is  moving  into  the 
sea,  during  the  summer  months,  at  the  rate  of 
forty  feet  in  every  twenty -four  hours,  and  dis- 
charging in  that  time  one  hundred  and  forty  mil- 
lion cubic  feet  of  ice  into  the  bay.  It  is  not  nec- 
essary for  us  to  discuss  the  cause  of  this  regular, 
uniform  movement  of  the  enormous  mnss ;  it  may 
be  brought  about  by  either  dilation  or  gravitation, 
both  of  which  are  most  likely  active  agents  to  this 
end,  but  certain  it  is  that  the  glacier  moves  for- 
ward as  descrilx'd. 


THE  MUIR   GLACIER.  281 

One  could  have  passed  days  in  studying  the 
grandeur  and  beauty  of  the  Muir  glacier,  in  watch- 
ing its  slow  but  steady  advance,  its  tremend(jus 
avalanches,  its  rolling,  tlumder-like  dischai'ges,  its 
irregular,  translucent  front  decked  with  amethyst 
and  opal  hues  by  the  afternoon  sunlight,  but  time 
was  to  be  considered,  the  clay  w-as  closing,  and  we 
finally  steamed  reluctantly  away.  Even  after  we 
had  lost  sight  of  the  great  frozen  river,  we  heard 
its  evening  guns  echoing  among  the  mountains, 
faint  and  fitful  from  the  growing  distance. 

We  pause  for  a  moment,  thoughtfull}'^,  to  recall 
the  brief  hours  passed  in  that  boreal  atmosphere, 
crowded  to  repletion  w-ith  wonderful  experiences, 
where  the  ice  deposited  during  the  glacial  period 
is  slowly  wasting  and  wearing  away,  exposing 
giant  cedars  which  have  been  buried  for  ages 
upon  ages,  a  revelation  and  a  process  which  we 
may  nowhere  else  behold.  There  is  no  touch  of 
civilization  here ;  the  quiet  and  solitude  is  un- 
broken, save  by  the  thunder  of  the  bergs  break- 
ing their  long  imprisonment.  Somehow  one  feels 
older,  grayer,  sadder,  after  witnessing  these  great 
and  startling  throes  of  Nature,  phenomena  which 
have  been  in  operation  thousands  of  years.  It  re- 
minds the  observer  only  too  forcibly  how  infini- 
tesimal is  the  space  he  occupies  upon  this  planet, 
and  how  utterly  insignificant  is  his  personality  in 
the  vast  scheme  of  the  universe.  Travel,  while 
teaching  us  numberless  grand  and  beautiful  truths, 
solving  many  mysteries  and  vastly  enlarging  our 
mental  grasp,  does  not  fail  also  to  impress  upon 


282  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

the  most  conceited  the  important  and  priceless 
lesson  of  humility.  But  let  us  banish  brooding 
thoughts,  and  be  glad  for  a  little  space ;  to-morrow 
the  night  cometh  ! 

Among  the  evidences  of  the  slow  but  steady 
receding  of  the  glacier  we  have  Vancouver's  rec- 
ord that  he  was  unable  to  enter  this  bay  in  1793, 
which  is  now  navigable  for  over  twelve  miles  in- 
land. Once  the  ice  field  was  level  with  the  moun- 
tain tops,  now  it  has  melted  until  the  peaks  are 
far  above  its  surface.  Professor  Muir  tells  us  that 
in  the  earlier  days  of  the  ice-age  this  glacier 
stood  at  a  height  of  from  three  to  four  thousand 
feet  above  its  present  level !  Centuries  hence  the 
place  of  the  ghicier  will  doubtless  be  occupied  by 
a  flawing  river,  and  the  laud  will  have  entirely 
thrown  aside  its  mantle  of  ice  and  snow.  What 
a  revelation  this  bay  would  have  been  to  Agassiz ! 
After  an  arduous  half  day's  climb,  from  the  sum- 
mit of  the  jNIuir  glacier  nearly  thirty  others  are 
to  be  seen  in  various  directions,  all  steadily  for- 
cing their  resistless  way  towards  the  sea,  slowly 
consummating  the  purpose  of  their  existence. 
How  far  glacial  action  has  been  concerned  in 
determining  the  topographical  conditions  of  the 
globe  will  long  be,  as  it  has  long  been,  a  subject 
for  deep  scientific  study. 

At  first  thought  it  seems  impossible  that  a  sub- 
stance like  ice,  often  brittle  as  glass  and  as  inelas- 
tic as  granite,  can  move  as  though  it  were  fluid. 
The  motion  of  the  giant  mass  is  doubtless  facili^ 
tated  by  subglacial  streams  issuing  from  its  bot-1 


A  LAND   OF    WONDERS.  283 

torn  into  the  buy.  The  water  flowing  from  two 
sources  of  this  character  manifests  itself  at  the 
surface  on  each  corner  of  the  ice-front,  where  it 
comes  bubbling  up  with  great  force  from  the  bot- 
tom, a  distance  of  from  sixty  to  eighty  fathoms. 
As  we  lay  in  front  of  the  grand  facade  what  a 
revelry  of  color  was  spread  before  us!  The  im- 
mense and  towering  wall  of  ice  seemed  to  throb 
with  the  softening  rays  of  the  sun,  penetrating 
each  broad  fissure  and  narrow  rift,  all  luminous 
with  blue  and  gold. 

Scidmore  Island  was  pointed  out  to  us,  a  green 
hilly  land,  near  the  mouth  of  the  ba}^  named 
after  Miss  E.  R.  Scidmore,  who  has  written  so  ad- 
mirably about  Alaska.  Another  island  was  des- 
ignated whereon  a  silver  mine  of  great  promise 
has  lately  been  successfully  located  and  tested, 
yielding  results  surpassing  the  most  sanguine  an- 
ticipations of  the  owners. 

All  through  this  region  one  is  constantly  im- 
pressed with  a  sense  of  vastness,  everything  seems 
so  stupenduous ;  Nature  is  cast  in  a  larger  mould 
than  she  is  in  other  sections  of  the  world.  The 
islands  strike  one  as  continental  in  dimensions, 
the  rivers  are  among  the  largest  on  the  globe,  the 
ocean  channels  are  the  deepest,  the  primeval  for- 
ests are  made  up  of  giant  trees  and  cover  thou- 
sands of  square  miles,  the  mountains  are  colossal, 
and  the  glaciers  are  elsewhere  unequaled.  It  is 
a  land  of  wonders,  strange,  fascinating,  and  beau- 
tiful. 

The   natives   of    this  latitude    are   robust   and 


284  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

hearty  in  appearance,  their  regular  food  supply 
being  such  as  to  sustain  them  in  a  good  physi- 
cal condition.  Seal  and  fish  oil  are  cheap  and 
abundant,  and  enter  into  all  of  their  cooking  com- 
binations. During  the  ripening  season  the  wild 
berries,  which  are  remarkably  abundant,  are  gath- 
ered by  the  bushel,  giving  employment  to  the 
youthful  portion  o£  the  community.  Large  quan- 
tities are  dried  for  winter  use,  but  during  the 
bearing  season  the  people  almost  live  upon  them, 
always  adding  a  portion  of  oil  as  a  condiment. 
Game,  such  as  deer,  bears,  mountain  goats,  and 
wild  geese,  is  very  plenty  a  little  way  inland. 
These  are  hunted  and  supplied  to  the  whites  by 
the  aborigines,  but  they  do  not  themselves  seem 
to  care  particularly  for  meat  of  any  sort  so  long  as 
they  can  obtain  plenty  of  fish  and  oil.  At  Sitka 
and  Fort  Wiangel  fine  large  codfish  are  retailed 
at  five  cents  each,  a  twenty  pound  salmon  costs  in 
the  season  ten  to  fifteen  cents,  and  halibut  sell  at 
about  the  same  rate  according  to  size.  These  lat- 
ter average  from  eighty  to  a  hundred  pounds  in 
weight  on  this  coast,  and  in  some  parts  of  the 
waters  bordering  western  Alaska  they  are  twice 
that  size.  Ducks  are  to  be  had  at  ten  and  fifteen 
cents  per  pair,  wild  geese  at  fifteen  cents  each, 
and  so  on.  The  natives  are  pi'eerainently  fish-eat- 
ers, and  are  as  a  rule  well  developed  about  the 
chest  and  shoulders,  though  the  lower  parts  of 
their  bodies  are  diminutive  owing  to  their  exer- 
cise being  taken  almost  altogether  at  the  paddle 
while  sitting  in   their  boats.     The  physical  con- 


HALIBUT  FISHING.  285 

trast  between  them  and  oni-  Western  Indians,  who 
are  meat-eaters,  is  very  decided.  The  one  lives 
in  a  canoe  a  large  portion  of  his  time,  the  other 
upon  horseback  or  engaged  upon  long  foot- 
marches  ;  the  one  is  lithe  and  sinewy,  the  other 
is  greasy  and  flabby.  Though  the  physical  con- 
dition of  our  Western  Indians  is  unquestionably 
much  superior  to  that  of  the  native  Alaskans,  yet 
the  latter  are  the  most  intelligent. 

The  halibut,  to  which  reference  has  just  been 
made,  is  found  in  great  abundance  upon  tTie  coast 
at  nearly  all  seasons  of  the  year,  and  forms  a 
large  portion  of  the  food  supply  of  the  native 
population,  both  for  summer  and  winter.  They 
prefer  to  catch  these  fish  by  means  of  their  own 
awkward  wooden  hooks,  rather  than  to  use  the 
steel  barbed  instrument  of  the  whites.  They  go 
out  for  the  purpose  in  their  boats,  exposing  them- 
selves in  nearly  all  sorts  of  weather,  anchoring 
upon  well-known  fishing  grounds  by  making  use 
of  a  stone  fastened  to  a  cedar-bark  rope  of  their 
own  manufacture.  Having  filled  their  canoe, 
which  they  can  do  in  a  very  short  time,  they 
leisurely  retui-n  to  the  shore,  where  the  fish  are 
turned  over  to  the  care  of  the  women,  who  soon 
clean  them,  also  removing  the  large  bones,  head, 
fins,  and  tails,  after  which  they  cut  the  bodies 
into  broad  thin  slices,  and  doing  so  much  of  this 
business  they  become  very  expert.  These  slices 
of  the  halibut  are  hung  on  wooden  frames,  where 
they  rapidly  dry  in  the  wind  and  sun,  no  salt 
being  used    in  the   process ;    indeed,  the  natives 


•286  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

seem  to  have  no  use  for  salt  so  far  as  their  own 
food  is  concerned,  and  do  not  eat  it  as  a  seasoning. 
After  the  hahbut  is  thus  cured,  the  pieces  are 
packed  away  in  the  large  cedar  box  which  forms 
each  family's  storehouse  for  such  food,  and  when 
wanted  it  is  always  ready,  requiring  but  little 
further  treatment  to  make  it  palatable  to  native 
Alaskan  taste.  As  thus  preserved  the  fish  will 
now  and  again  become  putrid.  This,  however,  is 
not  considered  by  the  people  to  detract  in  any 
degree  ""from  its  excellence  and  usefulness,  but 
rather  to  add  zest  to  the  flavor,  just  as  a  highly 
civilized  gourmand  requires  his  birds  to  be  kept 
until  tiie}'  become  a  little  "gamey  "  before  he 
considers  them  fit  to  serve  to  himself  or  his  guests. 
At  certain  seasons  of  the  year  the  salmon  are 
eagerly  sought  and  eaten,  both  fresh  and  dried, 
but  as  intimated  the  halibut  is  a  fish  which  can 
be  caught  at  nearly  any  time,  and  is  therefore 
perhaps  more  used  than  any  other.  There  are 
periods  when  these  fish  also  leave  the  coast  for  a 
short  season,  and  against  this  absence  the  native 
provides  as  we  have  described.  The  kind  of 
salmon  which  is  mostly  canned  and  prepared  for 
export  in  barrels  from  Alaska  is  of  a  pink  species, 
which  is  chosen,  not  because  it  possesses  any  pe- 
culiar excellence  of  flavor,  but  because  the  color 
is  generally  thought  to  be  more  desirable.  They 
are  not  considered  here,  either  by  the  whites  or 
the  natives,  to  be  of  quite  so  good  quality  as  some 
others  which  abound  in  this  region,  but  it  is  the 
pink  salmon  which  the  fanciful  public  demand, 
and  pink  salmon  which  they  get. 


ALASKAN  COOKERY.  287 

All  the  cooking  these  natives  seem  to  know 
anything  about  is  to  boil  or  stew  sucli  food  as 
they  do  not  consume  nearly  raw.  Iron  kettles 
have  been  in  their  possession  for  many  genera- 
tions, and  were  originally  procured  from  the 
Russians.  The  condiment  which  they  most  affect 
has  already  been  referred  to,  being  nothing  more 
nor  less  than  rancid  fish  or  seal  oil,  cooled  and 
hardened  into  a  sort  of  oleomargarine,  the  bare 
smell  of  which  is  sickening  to  the  nostrils  of  a 
white  person.  This  grease  is  spread  liberal K^  upon 
all  their  food  and  eaten  with  manifest  relish.  The 
inner  bark  of  the  spruce  and  hemlock  trees  is 
collected  by  the  women  in  considerable  quantities 
at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  and  is  eaten  by 
them,  both  in  the  green  and  dried  state,  after 
being  dipped  in  this  grease  as  described.  The 
Sitka  Indians  make  a  most  atrocious  salad  of  sea- 
weed mixed  with  seal-oil,  sometimes  adding  the  roe 
of  herring,  of  which  peculiar  mixture  they  partake 
with  ravenous  appetites,  the  roe  having  been  pur- 
posely kept  until  it  is  nearly  or  quite  putrid.  The 
salmon-berry,  while  it  is  in  season,  is  a  most  wel- 
come and  wholesome  addition  to  their  rather  cir- 
cumscribed  larder.  This  berry  is  a  sort  of  cross 
between  a  strawberry  and  a  blackberry,  though 
it  is  larger  than  the  average  of  these  delicious 
berries  as  they  grow  in  the  woods  of  New  Eng- 
land. Hundreds  of  barrels  of  the  native  cran- 
berry are  gathered  by  the  aborigines  and  ship|)ed 
annually  from  here  to  San  Francisco  ;  they  are 
smaller   than   the    cultivated    berry  bearing  the 


288  Tin-:  .VAir  eldorado. 

same  name,  which  is  grown  in  our  Eastern  States. 
The  wild  strawberries  found  among  these  islands 
and  on  the  mainland  excel  in  flavor  the  highly 
cultivated  berry  of  our  thickly-settled  States,  and 
may  be  found  growing  in  abundance  in  the  very 
shadow  of  the  glaciers. 

The  natives  hereabouts  have  no  domestic  ani- 
mals except  a  multitude  of  dogs  of  a  mongrel 
breed  ;  wolfish-looking  creatures ;  which  ai'e  of  no 
possible  use,  dozing  all  day  and  howling  all  night. 
At  the  north  the  regularly  bred  Eskimo  dog  is  a 
very  different  animal,  quite  indispensable  to  his 
master,  and  invaluable  in  connection  with  sledge 
traveling. 

The  tribe  occupying  the  region  near  to  Glacier 
Bay  is  known  as  the  Hooniahs,  an  ingenious 
and  industrious  people,  who  manufacture  brace- 
lets, spoons,  and  various  ornaments  out  of  silver 
and  copper.  Some  of  the  men  of  this  tribe  wear 
a  ring  in  their  noses,  like  the  women,  but  this 
seems  to  be  going  slowly  out  of  fashion.  We  wei'e 
told  that  the  men  have  as  many  wives  as  they 
choose  to  take,  and  that  they  are  not  always  care- 
ful to  properly  discriminate  between  other  men's 
and  their  own,  an  act  of  dereliction  from  pro- 
priety which  is,  however,  by  no  means  confined  to 
savage  life.  A  great  laxity  in  morals  is  also  said 
to  prevail  among  most  of  the  tribes  from  Behring 
Strait  southward  to  the  Aleutian  group  of  islands. 
Let  us  not,  however,  be  too  censorious  in  judging 
them  ;  if  their  virtues  are  found  to  be  in  the 
minority,  is  not  this  also  the  case  with  most  com- 


MINERAL   DEPOSITS.  289 

mnm'ties  wliich  boast  the  elevating  advantages  of 
culture  and  civilization  ? 

It  has  been  known  for  a  century  more  or  less 
that  masses  of  pure  copper  were  found  by  the  abo- 
rigines along  the  course  of  Copper  River,  which 
flows  into  the  Pacific  Ocean  midway  between  Mount 
St.  Elias  and  the  peninsula  of  Kenai.  The  natives 
exhibited  one  mass  of  pure  copper,  as  naturally  de- 
posited, weighing  over  sixty  pounds.  The  char- 
acter of  this  mineral  closely  resembles  that  of  our 
Lake  Superior  district,  and  there  is  ever}'  indica- 
tion of  its  abundance  in  this  region,  not  alone  on 
Copper  River,  but  in  several  districts  and  islands. 
The  natives  have  utilized  the  article  for  many 
generations  in  the  manufacture  of  personal  orna- 
ments, and  for  making  various  useful  household 
utensils,  such  as  stewpans  and  small  kettles.  Any 
permanent  rise  in  the  market  value  of  copper 
would  stimulate  the  development  of  the  copper 
mines  of  Alaska  to  compete  with  other  portions  of 
our  country.  Petroleum  is  also  found  on  Copper 
River,  forcing  itself  to  the  surface  from  some  un- 
deiground  reservoir,  and  again  near  the  Bay  of 
Katmai.  This  product  was  largely  used  by  the 
Russians  for  lubricating  purposes. 

Professor  Davidson  discovered  in  this  vicinity 
an  iron  mountain  some  two  thousand  feet  high, 
which  was  so  full  of  magnetic  ore  as  to  seriously 
aflfect  his  calculations  and  derange  his  compass. 
Mr.  Seward  said  of  the  same  vicinity  :  "  I  found 
there  not  a  single  iron  mountain,  but  a  whole 
range  of  hills  the  very  dust  of  which  adhered  to 


290  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

the  magnet."  There  is  plenty  of  coal  also,  and 
with  these  two  articles  in  juxtaposition  a  great  in- 
dustry may  ultimately  be  the  outgrowth.  Viewed 
as  a  sure  foundation  of  commercial  and  manufac- 
turing prosperity,  coal  and  iron  will  prove,  in  the 
long  run,  to  be  worth  nearly  as  much  to  Alaska 
as  her  abundant  and  inexhaustible  gold  supply. 

Captain  J.  W.  White  of  the  United  States  reve- 
nue marine  says :  "  I  have  seen  coal  veins  over  an 
area  of  forty  or  fifty  square  miles  so  thick  that  it 
seemed  to  me  to  be  one  vast  bed.  It  is  of  an  excel- 
lent steam-producing  quality,  having  a  clear  white 
ash.  Tlie  quantity  seemed  to  be  unlimited.  This 
bed  lies  northwest  of  Sitka,  up  Cook's  Inlet  which 
broadens  into  a  sea  in  some  places."  Nature  has 
provided  fuel  in  limitless  quantities  for  this  great 
Territory,  both  in  the  form  of  coal  and  of  wood, 
each  of  which  is  of  the  most  available  character, 
both  as  regards  the  quality  and  the  convenience 
of  location. 

In  speaking  of  the  rich  and  varied  prospects 
of  the  country,  let  us  not  forget  to  mention  the 
abundance  of  pure  white,  slatuary  marble,  which 
exists  here  in  immense  quarries,  near  the  site  of 
which  there  are  numerous  safe  and  commodious 
harbors,  with  great  depth  of  water,  inviting  the 
commerce  of  the  world.  We  need  not  send  to 
Italy  for  a  fine  article  in  this  line  ;  the  choicest  prod- 
uct for  statuary  purposes  is  here  upon  our  own 
soil.  While  these  sheets  are  going  through  the 
press,  the  fact  that  a  valuable  quicksilver  mine, 
which   was  discovered    at  Kuskoquin  some  years 


I 
I 


EFFORTS   TO   DEPRECIAl E   ALASKA.      291 

ago,  now  proves  to  be  of  high  grade  and  purity, 
is  published  to  the  world  at  large.  If  so,  this  is 
extreniely  providential,  as  there  is  now  a  constant 
demand  for  mercury  in  the  treatment  of  the  gold- 
bearing  quartz  of  the  numerous  mines  herea- 
bouts. 

The  studied  effort  of  certain  writers  to  depreci- 
ate the  value  of  the  Territory  of  Alaska  in  nearly 
every  possible  respect  seems  very  singular  to  us, 
and  is  altogether  too  obvious  to  cany  conviction 
with  it.  The  great  amount  of  gold  now  being 
realized  every  month  of  the  year,  the  millions  of 
cured  salmon  and  cod  annually  exported  to  other 
sections,  together  with  the  rich  furs  regularly 
shipped  from  the  Territory,  counted  by  hundreds 
of  thousands,  must  cause  such  people  a  degree  of 
mortification.  One  of  these  writers  put  himst'lf 
on  record  by  saying  not  long  since  that  gold  did 
not  exist  in  the  Territory  in  paying  quantities. 
Yet  there  is  a  standing  offer  of  sixteen  million 
dollars  for  the  Treadwell  gold  mine  on  Douglas 
Island,  while  within  eight  or  ten  miles  of  it,  at 
Silver  Bow  Basin,  on  the  mainland,  is  another 
gold  mine,  as  has  been  shown,  owned  and  worked 
by  a  Boston  company,  nearly  as  valuable. 

Referring  to  this  auriferous  deposit  on  Doug- 
las Island,  Governor  Swineford  says,  in  his  ofH- 
cial  report  to  the  government  for  the  year  1887  : 
"It  is  without  doubt  the  largest  body  of  gold- 
bearing  quartz  ever  developed  in  this  or  any 
other  country." 

At  last  we  prepare  to  turn  our  backs  upon  the 


292  THE  M-:\V  KLDORAbO. 

home  of  tlie  glaciers  and  the  locality  of  the  most 
remarkable  gold  deposits  of  the  Northwest,  sur- 
feited with  wonders,  and  actually  longing  for  the 
sight  of  something  intensely  common,  satisfied 
that  the  tourist  who  makes  the  voyage  from  Ta- 
coma  to  Glacier  Bay  through  the  inland  sea  lias 
the  opportunity  of  beholding  some  of  the  grandest 
scenery  and  natural  phenomena  on  the  globe. 


\ 


1 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

Sailing  Southward.  —  Sitka,  Capital  of  Alaska.  —  Transfer  of  the 
Territory  from  Russia  to  America. —  Site  of  the  City.  —  The 
Old  Castle.  —  Russian  Habits.  —  A  Haunted  Chamber. — 
Russian  Elegance  and  Hospitality.  —  The  Old  Greek  Church. 
—  Rainfall  at  Sitka. — The  Japanese  Current.  —  Abundance 
of  Food.  — Plenty  of  Vegetables.  —  A  Fine  Harbor, 

From  Glacier  Bay  our  serpentine  course  lies 
southward  through  the  countless  sounds,  gulfs, 
and  islands  of  various  shapes  and  sizes  to  Sitka, 
the  New  Archangel  of  the  Russians,  Sitka  being 
the  aboriginal  name  of  the  bay  on  which  the  town 
is  situated.  This  is  the  most  northerly  commer- 
cial port  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  lies  at  the  base 
of  Mount  Vestova  on  the  west  side  of  Baranoff 
Island.  The  island  is  eighty-five  miles  long  by 
twenty  broad,  situated  thirteen  hmidred  miles 
north  of  San  Francisco. 

On  the  18th  of  October,  in  the  year  1867, 
three  United  States  men-of-war  lay  in  the  harbor, 
namely,  the  Ossipee,  the  Jamestown,  and  the 
Resaca.  It  was  a  memorable  occasion,  for  on 
that  day  the  Muscovite  flag  was  formally  hauled 
down  and  the  Stars  and  Stripes  were  run  up  on 
the  flagstaff  of  the  castle  amid  a  salvo  of  guns 
from  the  ships  of  both  nations,  thus  completing 
the  official  transfer  of  the  great  Territory  of 
Alaska   from    Russian   to    American    possession. 


294  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

Up  to  this  time  the  government  of  the  country 
had  been  virtually  under  the  control  of  the  rich 
fur  company  chartered  by  the  Tzar.  Any  policy 
at  variance  with  its  purposes  was  treason ;  immi- 
gration, except  for  its  employees,  was  rigorously 
discouraged  ;  the  imperial  governor  was  actually 
salaried  by  this  great  monopoly,  while  his  public 
acts  were  subject  to  its  approval  or  otherwise. 
With  the  date  above  given  this  condition  of  af- 
fairs ceased  and  "a  new  regime  began.  Though 
no  radical  change  immediately  took  place,  still 
the  atmosphere  of  our  Union  gradually  permeated 
these  regions,  our  flag  freely  floated  everywhere, 
and  our  few  officials  assumed  their  responsibilities, 
administering  the  laws  of  the  Republic  mercifully 
as  regarded  the  natives,  but  still  with  that  degree 
of  firmness  which  is  imperative  in  dealing  with  a 
half-civilized  race. 

One  cannot  but  conjecture  what  must  have 
been  the  secret  thoughts  of  the  thousands  of  abo- 
rigines on  this  occasion,  as  they  witnessed  the  cer- 
emony of  transferring  Alaska  from  their  former 
to  their  new  masters.  It  was  an  event  of  im- 
mense interest,  of  most  vital  import  to  them,  but 
yet  one  in  which  they  were  entirely  ignored. 
They  knew  the  significance  of  that  change  of 
flags,  of  that  roar  of  artillery,  emphasized  by  other 
naval  and  military  movements,  but  they  had  no 
voice  whatever  in  the  agreement  by  which  they 
were  virtually  bought  and  sold  like  so  many  head 
of  cattle,  and  their  native  land  bartered  for  gold. 
We  leave  the  reader  to  moralize  over  this  aspect 


SITKA.  295 

of  the  matter,  a  fruitful  theme  for  the  political 
economist.  With  this  change  of  government 
came  a  new  people  ;  the  majority  of  the  Russians 
promptly  left  the  country,  and  their  pUices  were 
taken  by  Americans. 

Sitka,  the  capital  of  the  Territory,  is  shelt<^red 
by  a  snow-crowned  mountain  range  on  one  side, 
and  protected  from  the  broad  expanse  of  the  Pa- 
cific on  the  other  by  a  group  of  many  thickly 
wooded  islands.  The  waters  of  the  harbor  are  as 
clear  as  a  mountain  stream,  so  that,  as  in  sailing 
over  the  Bahama  Banks,  one  can  see  the  bottom 
many  fathoms  down  with  perfect  distinctness, 
where  the  myriad  curiosities  of  submarine  life  at- 
tract the  eye  by  their  novel  and  varied  display. 
Among  other  tropical  growth,  sponges,  coral 
branches,  and  long  rope-like  alga?  are  seen,  planted 
here  doubtless  by  the  equatorial  current  which  so 
constantly  laves  these  shores.  The  town  lies  clus- 
tered near  the  shore,  forming  a  pleasing  picture  as 
one  approaches  from  the  sea.  The  most  promi- 
nent feature  is  the  castle,  not  a  battlemented,  ivy- 
covered,  mediaeval  structure,  but  a  severely  plain, 
weather-beaten,  moss-grown,  dilapidated  affair, 
which  crowns  a  rocky  elevation  of  the  town.  It 
is  a  hundred  and  forty  feet  long  by  seventy  deep, 
Constructed  of  huge  cedar  logs  which  are  securely 
riveted  to  the  rock  by  numerous  clamps  and  bolts. 
This  was  for  many  years  the  grand  residence  of 
the  Russian  governors,  —  after  the  capital  was  re- 
moved from  St.  Paul,  on  the  island  of  Kodiak,  — 
several  of  whom  were  of  the  Muscovite  nobility 


296  TUE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

and  brought  hither  their  wives  and  daughters  to 
live  with  them  in  this  isolated  spot.  One  can 
hardly  conceive  of  a  greater  social  contrast  than 
naturally  existed  between  St.  Petersburg  and  this 
half  savage  hamlet  of  Baranoff  Island.  For  deli- 
cate and  refined  ladies,  such  a  change  from  court 
life  must  have  been  little  less  of  a  hardship  than 
actual  banishment  to  dreaded  Siberia. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  resort  was  had  to  I'ather 
desperate  means  whereby  to  beguile  the  weary 
hours.  Many  fell  victims  to  gambling  and  strong 
drink.  The  Russians,  under  nearly  any  circum- 
stances, fail  to  be  good  examples  of  temperance, 
and  here  cognac  and  vodhka  flowed  free  as  water. 
To  some  of  their  official  feasts  and  celebrations 
the  native  chiefs  were  invited,  and  terribly  demor- 
alized by  the  potency  of  the  viands  to  which  they 
were  totally  unaccustomed.  Nor  can  it  be  won- 
dered at  that,  being  occasionall}'^  supplied  with  this 
fire-water,  the  natives  now  and  again  broke  out 
in  open  revolt,  which  ended  more  or  less  seriously 
both  to  the  Russians  and  themselves.  It  will  be 
lemembered  that  once  during  the  early  times  the 
natives  rose  in  a  body  and  massacred  or  drove 
every  foreigner  off  the  island,  an  act  of  savage  pa- 
triotism which  cost  them  dearly. 

Every  "  castle  "  must  have  at  least  one  haunted 
chamber,  and  we  are  told  that  this  of  Sitka  was 
no  exception  to  the  general  rule.  The  story  con- 
cerning the  same  is  variously  told  by  different  per- 
sons, but  we  will  give  only  the  version  we  heard. 
It  seems  that  half  a  century  and  more  since,  the 


A   SIT  KAN   TRAGEDY.  297 

Russian  governor's  family  included  a  beautiful  and 
accomplished  daughter  nnmed  Eruzoff,  who  was, 
at  the  time  the  event  occurred  which  we  are  about 
to  relate,  but  twenty  years  of  age.  There  were 
on  her  father's  official  staff  two  young  noblemen 
of  St.  Petersbui-g,  Nicholas  and  Michael  Burdoff, 
about  twenty-five  years  of  age  respectively.  They 
w^ere  cousins,  and  had  been  ardent  and  intimate 
friends  from  childhood.  Both  of  the  cousins  fell 
deeply  in  love  with  the  governor's  daughter,  who, 
in  her  delicacy,  showed  no  preference  between 
them.  The  young  men  grew  desperate  in  their 
feelings.  Never  before  had  they  disagreed  about 
the  simplest  matter;  it  was  their  delight  to  yi^-ld 
to  each  other;  but  now  their  love  for 'the  beauti- 
ful Eruzoff  made  them  open  rivals.  One  day  they 
went  into  the  neighboring  forest  together,  as  they 
said,  to  hunt,  and  were  absent  for  two  days.  On 
the  evening  of  the  second  day  Michael  returned 
unaccompanied  by  his  cousin,  whom  he  said  he 
had  lost  in  the  forest.  He  retired  at  once  to 
his  own  room  in  the  castle,  where  he  was  found 
dead  in  bed  on  the  following  morning,  without  a 
wound  or  any  sign  to  explain  the  cause,  though 
the  post  surgeon  pronounced  it  to  be  a  case  of 
heart  disease.  A  few  days  afterwards,  by  means 
of  his  favorite  dog,  the  body  of  Nicholas  was  dis- 
covered in  the  forest  with  a  bullet  through  his 
brain.  The  actual  truth  regarding  the  death  of 
the  cousins  cannot  be  known  on  earth,  but  the 
chamber  where  Michael  Burdoff  breathed  his  last 
is  said  to  be  often  disturbed  by  a  ghostly  visitor 


298  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

at  midnight.  EruzofF  was  forced  by  her  father  to 
marry  an  official  of  his  choice,  tiiough  she  was 
broken-hearted  at  the  loss  of  Michael  Burdoff,  who 
proved  to  have  been  the  one  whom  she  loved  best. 
She  died  in  her  bridal  year. 

Interesting  stories  are  told  of  the  grand  hospi- 
tality—  characteristic  of  the  Russians  —  which 
was  so  liberally  dispensed  within  this  castle,  in 
entertaining  celebrated  voyagers  of  various  coun- 
tries, and  especially  those  of  the  United  States. 
It  has  always  been  the  policy  of  the  Tzars  to  cul- 
tivate kindly  feelings  with  our  government,  and 
Russia  is  still  our  constant  friend.  The  upper 
part  of  the  old  castle  was  arranged  for  theatrical 
representations,  while  in  the  other  apartments  the 
nights  were  lendered  merry  witli  cards,  dancing, 
and  music.  Rich  furniture,  valuable  paintings, 
and  costly  plate  had  been  brought  all  the  way 
from  Russia  to  equip  this  grand  household  among 
a  savage  race.  The  toilets  of  the  ladies  were 
perhaps  a  twelvemonth  behind  those  of  St. 
Petersburg,  but  their  diamonds  and  laces  were 
never  out  of  fashion.  Elegant  chandeliers  were 
left  by  these  former  masters  of  the  castle,  which 
show  what  the  rest  of  the  furniture  must  have 
been  to  have  harmonized  with  such  gorgeous 
ornaments.  The  visitor  is  shown  the  apartment 
occupied  by  the  venerable  Lady  Franklin  at  eighty 
years  of  age,  who  came  hither  in  search  for  her 
lost  husband,  the  Arctic  explorer. 

The  quaint  old  Greek  Church  with  the  sharp 
peak  ot  Vestova  as  a  background  is  a  prominent 


CIVILIZING  INFLUENCES.  299 

and  interesting  edifice.  Its  emerald-green  dome 
and  Byzantine  spire,  after  the  lioine  fashion  of 
the  Russians,  together  with  its  ehiborately  em- 
bellished interior  and  its  ancient  chime  of  bells, 
strongly  individualize  the  structure.  Some  pic- 
tures of  more  than  ordinary  merit  are  to  be  seen 
within  its  walls.  One  representing  the  Madonna 
and  Child  is  pronounced  to  be  very  valuable.  It 
is  kept  in  perfect  condition  by  the  government  of 
St.  Petersburg,  which  is  the  sole  owner  of  all  the 
cluu'ches  of  the  empire,  at  home  and  abroad. 
The  Tzar  expends  more  money  for  church  and 
missionary  purposes  in  Alaska  to-day  than  all 
the  Christian  sects  of  our  country  combined.  For 
the  three  chui-ches  in  Sitka,  Kodiak,  and  Unalaska 
the  sum  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  annually  is  set 
aside  and  appropriated.  Nevertheless,  we  believe 
the  Training  School  at  Sitka  exercises  a  much 
higher  civilizing  influence,  where  the  simplest 
Chi'istian  principles  are  taught,  combined  with 
common  school  studies,  and  where  instruction  is 
given  in  the  daily  industries  of  life.  AH  concede 
that  education  and  general  intelligence  are  the 
mainsprings  of  our  system  of  government,  and  that 
the  perpetuity  of  its  institutions  depends  thereon. 
Ill  view  of  these  indisputable  facts  let  our  rulers 
at  Washington  bestow  liberally  from  out  the 
plethoric  national  treasury  for  educational  pur- 
poses in  Alaska. 

Most  of  the  houses  of  Sitka  are  heavy  log 
dwellings,  some  of  which  are  clapboarded  outside 
and   smoothly   finished    within.      In   the   winter 


300  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

season  about  a  thousand  Indians  live  here,  the 
white  population  being  composed  of  the  usual 
government  officials  and  agents,  with  a  few  store- 
keepers engaged  in  the  fur  traffic  and  general 
trade  with  the  aborigines.  Four  or  five  hundred 
miners  and  prospectors  gather  here  also  in  the 
winter,  when  it  becomes  too  cold  to  prosecute 
their  calling  far  inland,  where  the  thermometer 
often  falls  to  20°  below  zero.  Even  this  occasional 
extreme  could  be  easily  endured,  and  the  work  be 
little  retarded,  were  suitable  quarters  provided. 
In  midwinter  daylight  continues  at  Sitka  for  only 
six  hours  in  tlie  twenty-four,  though  by  the  first 
of  June  there  is  virtually  no  night  at  all;  the 
stars  take  a  vacation,  while  the  evening  and  the 
morning  twilight  merge  into  day. 

The  author  had  thought,  heretofore,  that  the 
rainfall  at  Bergen,  on  the  coast  of  Norway,  ex- 
ceeded that  of  any  other  spot  he  had  visited,  but 
here  at  Sitka  "  the  rain,  it  raineth  every  day." 
We  have  seen  it  rain  harder  in  the  tropics,  but 
not  often.  The  brief  downpour,  however,  is  so 
quickly  followed  by  a  flood  of  delicious  sunshine 
that  the  contrast  is  a  charming  revelation.  Still 
another  effect  is  observable  that,  as  rainy  as  it  is, 
at  certain  seasons  the  atmosphere  is  still  peculiarly 
dry.  The  writer  was  told  that  clothes  would 
quickly  dry  under  a  shed  during  the  heaviest  rains. 
The  fair  weather  is  most  likely  to  occur  during  the 
excursion  season,  so  that  the  stranger  is  not  apt  to 
meet  much  annoyance  in  this  respect  while  at  the 
capital.     The  annual  rainfall  is  recorded  as  being 


THE  JAPANESE   CURRENT.  801 

ninety  inches  upon  this  island,  a  degree  of  humid- 
ity which  is  attributed  to  the  heated  waters  of  the 
equatorial  regions,  wliich  warm  the  whole  coast- 
line of  southern  Alaska,  insuring  the  mild  win- 
ters it  enjoys. 

Scientists  tell  us  that  the  effect  of  this  warm 
current  is  equivalent  to  twenty  degrees  of  latitude, 
that  is  to  say,  the  same  products  which  are  found 
in  latitude  40°  north  on  the  Atlantic  coast  thrive 
in  this  region  at  60°  north,  which  is  a  little  higher 
than  the  latitude  of  Sitka.  This  beneficent  stream, 
arising  off  the  coast  of  southern  California,  crosses 
the  Pacific  south  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  on 
the  coast  of  Asia  turns  northward  in  a  grand 
sweep,  striking  the  shores  of  America,  and  return- 
ing finally  to  its  starting-point.  "  It  is  this,"  says 
H.  H.  Bancroft,  in  his  "  History  of  the  Pacific 
States,"  "  that  clothes  temperate  isles  in  tropical 
verdure,  makes  the  silkworm  flourish  far  north  of 
its  rightful  home,  and  sends  joy  to  the  heart  of 
the  hyperborean,  even  to  him  upon  the  Strait  of 
Behring,  and  almost  to  the  Arctic  Sea." 

The  abundant  moisture  causes  all  vegetation  to 
grow  most  luxuriantly.  "  The  enemies  of  this  re- 
gion, some  of  whom,"  said  an  official  to  us,  "  have 
been  paid  for  sinister  purposes  to  write  it  down, 
declare  that  it  caimot  be  made  to  support  a  popu- 
lation, as  vegetables  will  not  grow  here,  but  vege- 
tables have  been  successfully  grown  all  about  us 
for  more  than  fifty  years."  There  are  a  plenty  of 
domestic  cattle  at  Sitka,  where  we  partook  of  as 
sweet  and  rich  milk  as  can   be  produced  on   our 


302  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

choice  dairy  farms  at  the  East.  The  southern 
portions  of  the  Territory,  both  the  islands  and  the 
mainland,  are  better  adapted  to  support  a  civilized 
white  popuhition  than  are  the  larger  portions  of 
Norway  and  Sweden.  It  may  be  doubted  if  there 
is  anything  finer  in  color  than  -the  June  greenery 
of  Sitka.  Our  first  day  at  this  unique  capital  had 
been  varied  by  alternate  rain  and  sunshine,  but 
the  closing  hours  of  the  day  were  clear  and  beau- 
tiful, emphasized  by  such  a  grand  and  brilliant 
sunset  as  is  rarely  excelled,  the  afterglow  and 
mellow  twilight  lasting  until  nearly  midnight, 
causing  the  turban  of  snow  upon  the  head  of 
Mount  Edgecombe  to  look  like  Etruscan  gold. 

John  G.  Brady,  United  States  commissioner  at 
Sitka,  writes  from  there  as  follows :  "  Though 
Alaska  is  no  agricultural  country,  yet  there  is 
plenty  of  land  for  growing  vegetables  for  a  vast 
population  which  can  be  easily  cleared  and  culti- 
vated. The  food  of  this  coast  is  assured  unless 
the  Pacific  current  changes  and  rain  ceases.  Per- 
haps there  is  not  another  spot  on  the  globe  where 
the  same  number  of  people  do  so  little  manual 
labor  and  are  so  well  fed  as  in  Sitka."  The  ca- 
pacity of  the  island  to  produce  a  large  variety  of 
garden  vegetables,  and  of  good  quality,  is  abun- 
dantly demonstrated  by  a  resident  who  gains  a 
successful  livelihood  through  the  sale  of  these 
products  grown  on  his  own  land. 

The  bay  is  very  lovely  and  naturally  recalls 
that  of  Naples,  with  its  neighboring  Vestova  and 
its  beautiful  islands.     Though  Mount  Edgecombe 


SITKA    HARBOR.  30:', 

with  its  great  truncated  cone,  situated  fifteen  miles 
away  upon  Kruzoff  Island,  is  not  now  in  active 
condition,  a  centur}-  ago,  more  or  less,  it  poured 
forth  lava,  fire,  and  smoke  enough  to  rival  the 
Italian  volcano  which  buried  Pompeii  in  its  fatal 
debiis  nearly  two  thousand  years  ago.  We  were 
told  that  smoke  and  sulphurous  vapor  occasionally 
issue  from  the  old  crater  of  Edgecombe,  but  saw 
no  distinct  evidence  of  the  fact.  As  we  lookt^d 
at  the  sleeping  giant  we  wondered  if  it  will  one 
day  awake  in  its  Plutonic  power.  The  bay  is 
said  to  contain  over  one  hundred  islands,  which 
are  mosth'  covered  with  a  noble  giowth  of  trees, 
rendered  picturesque  and  lovely  by  green  sh)ping 
banks  and  shores  fringed  with  golden-russet  sea- 
weed, bearing  long,  banana-like  leaves.  Many  of 
these  islands  are  occupied,  some  by  whites,  some 
by  Indians.  Japan  Island,  so-called,  is  the  largest 
in  the  bay,  and  is  situated  just  opposite  the  town. 
It  was  once  improved  by  the  Russians  as  an  ob- 
servatory, and  now  contains  some  fine  gardens  cul- 
tivated both  by  whites  and  natives,  from  whence 
the  citizens  obtain  their  supply  of  fresh  vegetables. 
Baranoff  Island  itself  is  mountainous  and  thi(  kly 
wooded,  though  there  are  large  arable  spots  dis- 
tributed here  and  there  near  to  Sitka,  dotted  with 
wild  flowers  in  white  and  gold,  —  Flora's  favorite 
colors  in  this  latitude.  Never,  save  in  equatorial 
regions,  has  the  author  seen  vegetation  moi-e  lux- 
uriant than  it  is  in  its  native  condition  in  these 
islands  of  southern  Alaska. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Contrast  between  Ameiicnn  and  Eussian  Sitka  — A  Practical 
Missionary.  —  Tiie  Sitka  Industrial  School.  —  Gold  Mines  on 
the  Island.  —  Environs  of  the  Town.  —  Future  Prosperity  of 
the  Country. —  Hot  Springs.  —  Native  Keligious  Ideas.  —  A 
Natural  Taste  for  Music.  —  A  Native  Brass  Band.  —  Final 
View  of  the  Capital. 

The  Sitka  of  to-day  contains  about  two  thou- 
sand inhabitants,  but  is  a  very  different  place  fi  om 
that  which  the  Russians  made  of  it.  The  subjects 
of  the  Tzar  carried  on  shipbuilding,  manufa6tured 
wooden  and  iron  ware,  erected  an  iron  furnace  and 
smelted  native  ore,  made  steel  knives  and  agri- 
cultural tools,  axes,  hatches,  and  carpenters'  tools 
generally.  They  established  a  bell  foundry  here 
at  which  many  bells  and  chimes  were  cast,  and 
shipped  the  products  all  along  the  Pacific  coast, 
especially  to  Mexico.  The  Greek  Church  was 
kept  up  to  the  highest  standard  as  regarded  the 
national  forms,  and  employed  nearly  a  score  of 
priests,  which,  together  with  some  forty  or  fifty 
civil  officers  attached  to  the  governor's  household 
staff,  made  a  considerable  community  of  white 
citizens,  which  was  a  constant  scene  of  business 
activity.  The  capital  has,  in  some  re.'^pects  at 
least,  been  greatly  improved  since  it  came  into  our 
possession,  but  it  bears  unmistakable  evidences  of 
antiquity.    It  has  been  made  neat  and  clean,  which 


.-1    PRACTICAL   MISSIONARY.  305 

was  certainly  not  a  characteristic  under  its  former 
management,  the  streets  have  been  regularly  laid 
out,  and  good  sidewalks  have  taken  the  place  of 
muddy  pathways,  while  some  well -constructed 
roads  leading  through  the  neighborhood  have  been 
perfected.  Though  there  is  not  seemingl}'  so 
much  of  local  business  going  on  as  there  used  lo 
be,  still  it  is  a  far  more  wholesome  and  pleasant 
place  to  live  in  than  it  was  in  the  days  of  Mus- 
covite possession.  In  Mrs.  E.  S.  Willaid's  pub- 
lished letters  from  Alaska  we  learn  how  an  officer 
of  our  navy,  namely,  Captain  Henry  Glass  of  the 
United  States  steamer  Jamestown,  in  1881,  proved 
to  be  the  right  sort  of  missionary  to  send  on  spe- 
cial duty  to  Sitka. 

"  His  first  move,"  says  this  lady,  "  was  to  abolish 
hoochinoo.  He  made  it  a  crime  to  sell,  buy,  or 
drink  it,  or  any  intoxicating  drinks.  He  pre- 
vailed upon  the  traders  to  sell  no  molasses  to 
the  Indians  in  quantities,  so  that  they  could  not 
make  this  drink.  He  issued  orders  in  regard  to 
clearing  up  the  native  ranches,  whicli  were  fil- 
thy in  the  extreme,  and  had  been  the  scene  of 
nightly  horrors  of  almost  every  description.  He 
appointed  a  police  force  from  the  Indians  them- 
selves, dressed  them  in  navy  cloth  with  '  James- 
town '  in  gilt  letters  on  their  caps,  and  a  silver 
star  on  their  breasts.  He  made  education  com- 
pulsory. The  houses  were  all  numbered  and  the 
children  of  each  house,  each  child  being  given  a 
little  round  tin  plate  on  which  was  marked  his 
number  and    the    number   of    his    house.     These 


306  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

plates  weie  worn  on  a  string  about  the  neck.  As 
the  ehihh'en  arrived  in  school  they  were  regis- 
tered. Wlioever  failed  to  send  their  children  were 
fined  one  blanket.  As  soon  as  the}'  discovered 
that  the  captain  was  in  earnest  they  submitted, 
and  I  believe  no  blanket  was  forfeited  after  the 
first  week.  The  ranches  have  been  cleaned,  white- 
washed, and  drained,  and  all  is  peaceful  and  quiet 
where  a  few  months  ago  it  was  a  place  of  strife." 

The  Sitka  Industrial  School  —  or  as  it  is  better 
known  hei'e,  the  Jackson  Institution  —  is  the  most 
interesting  feature  of  the  town,  because  one  can- 
not fail  to  realize  how  nnich  good  it  is  accomplish- 
ing in  the  way  of  practical  civilization  and  real 
education  among  the  natives.  At  this  writing 
there  are  nearly  one  hundi-ed  boys,  and  about 
sixty  girls  and  young  women,  who  are  under  the 
parental  caie  of  the  Institution.  The  teaching 
force  consists  of  a  dozen  earnest  workers,  mostly 
ladies  fi-om  the  Eastern  States.  Resides  the  or- 
dinary English  branches  taught  in  the  school,  the 
girls  are  trained  to  cook,  wash,  iron,  sew,  knit, 
and  to  make  their  own  clothes.  The  boys  are 
taught  carpentry,  house- building,  cabinet-mak- 
ing, blacksinitliing,  boat-building,  shoemaking, 
and  other  industries.  The  work  of  the  school  is 
so  arranged  that  each  boy  and  girl  attends  school 
half  a  day,  and  works  half  a  day.  The  results 
thus  brought  about  are  admirable.  The  "  Mis- 
sion," as  the  cluster  of  buildings  forming  the 
school,  the  hospital,  the  residence  for  teachers,  cot- 
tages, and  workshops  is  called,  is  situated  beside 


INDUSTRIAL  SCHOOL.  307 

tlie  road  leading  to  Indian  Rivei*,  overlooking  (ho 
bay,  the  islands,  and  the  sea,  witli  grand  mountain 
views  on  three  sides.  Fifteen  different  tribes  are 
represented  in  this  Sitka  Industrial  School.  Eng- 
lish-speaking young  natives  who  have  been  trained 
here  readily  obtain  good  wages  at  the  mines,  in 
the  fish-cannei'ies,  and  wherever  they  apply  for 
employment  among  the  white  residents  of  the 
Territory,  while  their  influence  with  their  tribes 
is  very  great.  That  the  Alaskans  are  teachable 
and  capable  of  attaining  a  higlier  and  better 
plane  of  life  has  been  abundantly  proven  by  the 
successful  mission  of  this  school  during  the  few 
years  of  its  existence. 

There  is  a  small  monthly  newspaper  published 
at  Sitka  in  the  interest  of  the  Training  School 
called  ''  The  North  Star."  It  is  inexpensively 
produced,  and  is  calculated  to  disseminate  infor- 
mation in  beiialf  of  the  excellent  mission,  as  well 
as  to  add  interest  to  its  local  affairs.  The  type- 
setting and  all  the  work  on  this  little  paper  is 
done  by  native  boys.  In  his  last  published  report 
Dr.  Sheldon  Jackson  says  in  rehition  to  the  Alas- 
kan natives:  "Christianize  them,  give  them  a 
fair  school  education  and  the  means  of  earning  a 
living,  and  they  are  safe  ;  but  without  this  the 
race  is  doomed.  We  believe  in  the  gospel  of  ha- 
bitual indust'-y  for  the  adults,  and  of  industiial 
training  for  the  ciiildren.  By  these  means  they 
can  be  reclaimed  from  improvident  habits,  and 
transformed  into  ambitious  and  self-helpful  citi- 
zens." 


308  THE   NEW  ELDORADO. 

The  Industrial  Training  Scliool  at  Sitka  was 
established  as  a  day  school  by  the  Presbyterian 
Board  of  Hume  Missions  in  1880,  with  Miss  Olinda 
A.  Austin  as  teacher.  Tl)e  following  fall  circiun- 
stances  led  to  the  opening  of  a  boarding  depait- 
ment.  Since  then  the  institution  has  grown  until 
there  are  connected  with  it  two  large  buildings 
(one  for  boys  and  the  other  for  girls),  an  industrial 
building  sheltering  the  carpenter  and  boot  and 
shoe  shops,  the  printing-office  and  boat  house,  a 
small  blacksmith  shop,  a  steam  laundry,  a  bakery, 
a  iiospital,  and  six  small  model  cottages.  Every 
building  has  been  constructed  by  the  pupils  them- 
selves under  the  direction  of  the  one  carpenter, 
who  acted  as  their  instructor.  Even  the  domestic 
furniture,  such  as  beds,  chairs,  bureaus,  and  the 
like,  is  the  handiwork  of  these  native  boys.  We 
can  testify  from  personal  observation  that  all  is 
wonderfully  well  done,  and  of  excellent  patterns. 

There  is  a  valuable  gold  mine  situated  six  or 
eight  miles  southeast  of  Sitka,  eight  hundred 
feet  above  the  sea  level  and  about  a  mile  from 
deep  water,  on  Silver  Bay,  where  the  largest 
ships  may  lie  beside  the  shore,  the  wharfage  hav- 
ing been  prepared  by  Nature's  own  hand.  The 
quartz  rock  is  here  represented  to  be  of  excellent 
quality,  showing  thirty  dollars  to  the  average  ton, 
and  there  is  never-failing  water  near  at  hand  suf- 
ficient for  running  a  hundred  stainp-niill.  Gold 
has  been  mined  at  Silver  Bay  in  a  primitive  way 
for  several  years.  Numerous  other  mines  have 
been  located  and  opened  on  Baranoff  Island  which 


J 


ARRIVAL   OF  AN  EXCURSION  STEAMER.    309 

give  great  promise,  but  this  just  mentioned  has 
accomplished  thus  far  the  best  results.  We  took 
notes  of  eleven  mines  upon  which  much  work 
had  been  done,  shafts  sunken,  and  tunnels  run. 
"The  island  is  besprinkled  with  these  gold-quariz 
veins,"  said  an  intelligent  citizen  to  us.  "  Pros- 
pectors and  miners  have  been  attracted  elsewhere 
in  the  Territory  by  still  more  promising  gold  de- 
posits. This,  together  with  the  want  of  capital, 
is  the  reason  the  mines  have  not  been  opened  and 
worked  on  an  extensive  scale.  This  will  follow, 
however,  in  due  time,  for  miners  can  work  here 
all  the  year  round,  with  comfort  as  regards  the 
weather,  and  at  the  minimum  cost  of  living." 

The  arrived  of  an  excursion  steamer  at  Sitka  is 
made  the  occasion  of  a  regular  holiday,  which  is 
very  natural  with  a  people  who  live  in  so  isolated 
a  place.  As  the  steamer  enters  the  several  har- 
bors of  the  inland  passage  northward,  her  pres- 
ence is  announced  by  a  report  from  the  cannon  on 
the  forecastle,  which  awakens  a  score  of  sonorous 
echoes  from  the  rocky  cliffs  and  nearest  mountains^ 
also  serving  to  arouse  the  sleepy  natives  and  put 
the  dealers  in  curios  on  the  qui  vive.  The  few 
caf^s  do  a  thriving  business;  the  nights,  never 
very  dark  in  summer,  are  turned  into  d:iy,  and 
hours  of  revelry  prevail.  The  aboriginal  women 
drive  a  lively  business  with  their  home-made  cu- 
rios, and  indiscreet  native  girls  promenade  freely 
with  strangers.  Peccadilloes  are  overlooked  ;  no 
one  seems  to  be  held  strictly  to  account.  The  offi- 
cials are  unusuallv  lenient  on  such  occasions,  just 


310  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

as  they  are  in  Boston  or  New  York  on  the  Fourth 

of  July. 

The  immediate  environs  of  Sitka  present  many 
rural  beauties,  including  river,  forest,  and  wild 
flowers,  with  here  and  there  a  rapid,  musical  cas- 
cade. The  same  species  of  highly-developed  white 
clover  as  was  seen  at  Fort  Wrangel  is  a  charming 
feature  here,  fragrant  and  lovely,  —  '*  Beautiful 
objects  of  the  wild  bees'  love."  Buttercups  and 
dandelions  are  twice  the  size  of  those  which  we 
have  ill  New  England.  Ferns  are  in  great  variety, 
and  the  mosses  are  exquisite  in  their  velvety  tex- 
ture, while  tenderly  shrouding  the  fallen  and  de- 
caying trees  they  present  an  endless  variety  of 
shades  in  green.  There  are  over  three  hundred 
varieties  of  wild  flowers  found  on  Baranoff  Island, 
and  wild  berries  abound  here  as  among  all  the  isl- 
ands and  on  the  mainland.  The  wild  raspberry, 
salmon-berry,  and  thimbleberry  are  especially 
luxuriiint  and  fine  in  size  and  flavor.  The  woods 
are  full  of  song-birds  and  of  others  more  gaudy  of 
feather.  These  are  only  summer  visitors,  to  be 
sure,  among  which  the  rainbow-tinted  humming- 
bird made  his  presence  obvious.  A  pleasant  walk 
is  finely  laid  out  along  the  banks  of  the  sparkling 
Indian  River,  a  swift  mountain  stream,  hedged 
with  thrifty  and  graceful  alders,  by  which  means 
the  citizens  have  created  for  themselves  a  charm- 
ing and  favorite  promenade.  Along  the  left  bank 
of  this  beautiful  watercourse  are  woodland  scenes 
of  exquisite  rural  beauty. 

It  would  be  foolish  to  suggest   the   idea   that 


FARMING  NEAR  SITKA.  311 

Alaska  promises  to  become  eventually  a  great  ag- 
ricultural country;  but  it  is  equally  incorrect  to 
say,  as  did  a  certain  popular  writer  not  long  since, 
tliat  '•  there  is  not  an  acre  of  farming  laud  in  the 
Territory."  There  are  considerable  areas  of  good 
arable  land  now  under  profitable  cultivation  in  the 
Sitka  district,  and  large  farms,  rich  in  virgin  soil, 
could  be  had  for  a  mere  song,  as  the  saying  goes, 
in  desirable  localities,  by  clearing  away  the  timber 
and  draining  the  land.  Some  twenty-five  milk 
cows  are  kept  at  Sitka;  milk  is  sold  at  ten  cents 
per  quart.  Fresh  venison  is  cheap  and  abundant, 
and  fibh  of  various  kinds  cost  nearly  nothing.  In 
the  immediate  vicinity  there  are  three  thousand 
acres  of  arable  land,  much  of  which  is  well  grassed 
and  covered  with  white  clover.  On  the  foot-hills 
there  is  plenty  of  grass  for  the  sustenance  of  sheep 
and  goals.  Experienced  residents  told  us  that 
wool-growing  might  be  profitably  pursued  as  a 
business  here,  and  that  there  was  not  a  month  in 
the  year  when  the  animals  would  absolutely  re- 
quire to  be  housed.  Hay  is  easily  made,  and  is  in 
abundance  at  cheap  rates.  "I  have  never  seen 
finer  potatoes,  turnips,  cabbages,  and  garden  prod- 
uce generally,  than  those  grown  here,"  says  Gov- 
ernor Swineford  in  his  annual  report  to  the  De- 
partment at  Washington, 

There  is  a  great  abundance  of  natural  and  nu- 
tritious grasses  in  most  parts  of  the  country,  but 
especially  in  the  southern  islands  and  the  Kodiak 
group.  The  great  prosperity  of  Alaska,  however, 
to  be  looked  for  in  the  near  future,  lies  in  the  en- 


312  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

ergetic  development  of  her  coal  trade,  her  fisher- 
ies, and  her  extraordinary  mineral  wealth.  The 
immense  supply  of  timbei',  some  of  which  is  un- 
surpassed in  its  merchantable  value,  will  come  into 
use  one  or  two  generations  later.  The  fur-trade, 
already  of  gignntic  proportions,  cannot  be  judi- 
ciously developed  beyond  its  present  volume,  oth- 
erwise the  source  of  supply  will  gradually  become 
exhausted.  It  might  be  quadrupled  for  a  few 
years,  but  this  would  be  killing  the  goose  that  lays 
the  golden  egg.  If  protected,  as  our  government 
is  striving  to  do  for  it  to-day,  it  will  continue  in- 
definitely to  meet  the  market  demand  without 
glutting  or  overstocking  it.  In  this  connection, 
and  after  some  inquiry,  we  cannot  refrain  from 
expressing  the  fear  that  the  legal  limit  as  regards 
the  slaughter  of  the  seals  is  greatly  exceeded. 
Over  three  million  dollars'  worth  of  canned  salmon 
were  expoi-ted  from  Alaska  last  year.  "  This  Ter- 
ritory c;mi  sup|>ly  the  world  with  salmon,  herring, 
and  halibut  of  the  best  quality,"  says  Dr.  Sheldon 
Jackson. 

Twenty  miles  south  of  Sitka,  on  the  same 
island,  there  are  a  number  of  hot  springs,  strongly 
impregnated  with  iron  and  sidphur,  the  sanitary 
nature  of  which  has  been  known  to  the  Indians 
for  centuries,  and  hither  they  have  been  in  the 
habit  of  resorting  for  the  cure  of  certain  physical 
ills,  espcitially  rheumatism,  to  which  they  are  so 
liable.  Vegetation  in  the  neighborhood  of  these 
springs  is  tropical.  The  temperature  of  the  water 
is  said  to  be  156°  Fah.     At  the  time  of  the  Rus- 


DISEASES  AND   THEIR   TREATMENT.    313 

sian  possession  the  whites  built  hath-hons<^s  on 
the  spot,  and  much  was  made  of  this  sanitarium. 
But  all  is  now  neglected,  except  that  the  natives 
still  occasionally  resort  to  the  place  to  enjoy  the 
tonic  and  recuperating  effect  of  the  waters.  Any- 
thing which  will  promote  cleanliness  among  the 
Alaskan  tribes  must  be  unquestionably  of  benefit 
to  them.  There  are  plenty  of  hot  mineral  springs 
all  over  the  various  island  groups  of  the  Territory, 
and  especially  that  portion  which  makes  out  from 
the  Alaska  Peninsula  westward  towards  Asia. 
The  most  fatal  diseases  prevailing  among  the  abo- 
rigines after  consumption  are  scrofulous  affec- 
tions ;  the  latter  is  thought  to  be  aggravated,  if  not 
induced,  by  their  almost  exclusive  fish  diet,  supple- 
mented by  their  gross  uncleanliness.  The  Aleuts 
of  the  south,  the  Eskimos  of  the  north,  and  the 
natives  generally  of  the  coast  and  the  interior 
sleep  and  live  in  such  dark,  dirty,  unventilated 
quarters,  reeking  with  vile  odors,  that  they  cannot 
fail  to  poison  their  blood  and  thus  induce  a  myr- 
iad of  ills.  As  we  have  said,  none  of  these  natives 
seem  to  have  any  intelligent  idea  of  medicine,  and 
they  do  not  possess  any  herbs,  so  far  as  we  could 
learn,  which  are  used  for  medicinal  purposes.  If 
a  native  is  furnished  with  a  prescription  after  the 
manner  of  the  whites,  he  requires  at  least  twice 
the  amount  of  medicine  which  it  is  customary  to 
give  to  a  white  man,  otherwise  the  dose  will  have 
no  apparent  effect  upon  his  system.  Tiiis  is  a 
never  varying  experience  which  medical  men 
have  found  repeated  among  all  savage  races. 


314  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

As  far  as  one  is  able  to  compreliend  the  reli- 
gious convictions  of  the  native  Sitkans,  other  than 
the  few  who  have  gone  through  the  form  of  pro- 
fessing Christianity,  they  seem  to  entertain  a  sort 
of  animal  worship,  a  reverence  for  special  birds 
and  beasts.  Like  the  Japanese  tliey  hold  certain 
animals  sacred  and  will  not  injure  them.  It  is 
thus  that  they  have  some  mystical  idea  about  the 
bear,  which  prevents  them  from  willingly  hunting 
that  animal.  Ravens  are  nearly  as  numerous  in 
Sitka  as  they  are  in  Ceylon,  and  no  one  will  in- 
jure them.  They  believe  that  the  spirits  of  the 
departed  occupy  the  bodies  of  ravens,  hawks,  and 
the  like.  One  is  reminded  that  in  the  temples  of 
Canton  the  Chinese  keep  sacred  hogs  ;  the  Par- 
sees  of  Bombay  worship  fire;  the  Japanese  bow 
before  snakes  and  foxes,  as  divine  symbols;  the 
pious  Hindoo  deifies  cows  and  monkeys;  so  there 
is  abundant  precedent  to  countenance  these  sim- 
ple natives  of  Alaska  in  their  crude  worship  and 
superstitions. 

Their  aboriginal  belief  is  called  Shamanism,  or 
the  propitiating  of  evil  spirits  by  acceptable  offer- 
ings. It  is  significant  that  the  same  faith  is^ par- 
ticipated in  by  the  Siberians,  on  the  other  side  of 
Behring  Strait.  This  is  no  new  or  original  form 
of  religion;  it  was  the  faith  of  the  Tartar  race 
before  they  became  disciples  of  Buddhism. 

These  aborigines  seem  to  anticipate  a  state  of 
future  happiness,  but  not  one  of  rewards  and 
punishments.  All  blessedness  in  this  anticipated 
eternity  is  for  man  ;  woman,  it  seems,  has  no  real 


THE  MOST  POTENT  MISSIONARIES.         315 

inheritance  in  this  world  or  the  next !  Slavery, 
vice,  and  misery  would  thus  appear  to  be  her 
portion  in  life,  and  she  expects  nothing  beyond. 
This  picture  is  not  overdrawn.  These  natives 
are  now  as  much  a  part  of  our  population  as  are 
the  people  who  live  in  Massachusetts  or  Rhode 
Island,  and  our  manifest  duty  is  to  educate  them. 
The  light  of  reason  will  soon  follow,  and  like  the 
rising  sun  will  burn  away  this  mist  of  ignorance 
and  superstition.  Schools  are  the  most  potent 
missionaries  that  can  be  established  among  any 
savage  race  ;  reasonable  religious  convictions  will 
follow  as  a  natural  result. 

"When  the  missionary,"  says  W.  H.  Dall, 
"  will  leave  the  trading-post,  strike  out  into  the 
wilderness,  live  in  the  wilderness,  live  with  the 
Indians,  teach  tliem  cleanliness  first,  morality 
next,  and  by  slow  and  simple  teaching  raise  their 
minds  above  the  hunt  and  the  camp,  —  then,  and 
not  until  then,  they  will  be  able  to  comprehend 
the  simplest  principles  of  right  and  wrong." 
Though  these  Indians  at  the  populous  centres 
often  pretend  to  yield  to  the  religious  teachings 
of  the  piofessional  missionaries,  still,  like  the 
Chinese  religious  converts,  they  are  pretty  sure  to 
return  to  their  idols  and  supeistitions.  When  the 
Roman  Catholic  Bishop  from  San  P^ranclsco  came 
among  the  natives  of  Alaska,  and  offered  to  baptize 
their  children,  the  Indians  told  him  that  he  might 
baptize  them  if  he  would  pay  them  for  it ! 

H.  H.  Bancioft,  in  his  work  upon  the  native 
races  of  the  North  Pacific,  says  :  "  Thick,  black 


316  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

clouds,  portentous  of  evil,  hang  threateningly  over 
the  savage  during  his  entire  life.  Genii  murmur 
in  the  flowing  river,  in  the  rustling  branches  of 
the  trees  are  heard  the  breathings  of  the  gods, 
goblins  dance  in  the  vapory  twilight,  and  demons 
howl  in  the  darkness.  All  these  things  are  hostile 
to  man,  and  must  be  propitiated  by  gifts,  prayers, 
and  sacrifices  ;  while  the  religious  worship  of  some 
of  the  tribes  includes  practices  frightful  in  their 
atrocity." 

The  Sitkans,  like  many  other  tribes,  used  to 
burn  their  dead  before  the  missionaries  partially 
dissuaded  them  from  doing  so,  but  some  still  adopt 
cremation  as  a  final  and  most  desirable  resort. 
To  one  who  has  seen  its  universal  application  in 
India,  there  are  many  strong  reasons  in  its  favor. 
The  Alaskan  native  idea  of  a  hell  in  another 
world  constituted  of  ice,  it  is  said,  causes  them  to 
reason  that  those  buried  in  the  earth  may  be  cold 
forever  after,  while  those  whose  bodies  are  burned 
will  be  forever  warm  and  comfortable  in  the  next 
sphere.  After  the  funeral  these  aborigines,  as  we 
have  shown,  engage  in  a  genuine  "  wake,"  reck- 
lessly feasting  and  drinking  to  emphasize  the  im- 
portance of  the  occasion,  and  to  demonstrate  their 
unbounded  grief. 

The  native  women  occasionally  show  some 
taste  for  music  and  ability  in  playing  upon  the 
accordion,  almost  the  only  instrument  found  in 
their  possession.  A  young  Indian  girl  was  seen 
quite  alone  among  the  wild  flowers  just  outside 
the  town   (Sitka)   who  had   been    taught  a  few 


NATIVE  MUSICIANS.  317 

pleasing  airs,  and  who  surprised  us  with  a  well- 
played  strain  from  a  familiar  opera.  She  was 
a  pretty,  gypsy-like  child  of  nature,  evidently 
having  white  blood  in  her  veins,  and  was  not 
over  sixteen  years  of  age.  The  coarse,  scanty 
clothing  could  not  disguise  her  handsome  form, 
bright,  intelligent  face,  or  hide  the  depth  and 
splendor  of  her  jet-black  luminous  eyes.  When 
she  discovered  us  the  accordion  was  quickly  thrust 
behind  her,  while  her  downcast  eyes  expressed 
moitification  at  being  found  alone  by  the  white 
strangers,  playing  to  the  flowers  beside  the  Indian 
River.  She  understood  English  and  spoke  it 
fairly  well,  but  hesitated  to  receive  the  bright  bit 
of  silver  offered  to  her.  When  we  told  her  that  in 
the  East  it  was  the  custom  to  pay  those  who  played 
to  us  upon  musical  instruments  out-of-doors,  and 
described  the  itinerant  hand -organist  with  his 
monkey,  and  the  brass  bands  which  perambulate 
city  streets,  she  laughed  heartily,  thrust  the  shin- 
ing silver  in  her  bosom,  and  held  out  her  hand 
to  greet  us  cordiall}'.  As  we  turned  our  steps 
back  towards  the  town  the  innocent,  winning 
face  of  the  young  girl  haunted  us  with  thoughts 
of  hidden  possibilities  never  to  be  fulfilled. 

On  the  evening  before  we  left  Sitka  a  brass 
band  consisting  of  twenty-one  performers  marched 
down  to  the  wharf  from  the  mission  school,  in 
good  military  order,  headed  by  their  teacher  as 
band-master,  and  serenaded  the  passengers.  The 
band  was  composed  entirely  of  native  boys,  the 
oldest  not  over  eighteen,  not  one  of  whom  had  ever 


318  THE  NEW   ELDORADO. 

seen  a  brass  musical  instrument  two  years  ago. 
They  performed  eight  or  ten  elaborate  pieces  of 
composition,  not  passably  well,  but  admirably,  in 
perfect  time,  and  with  real  feeling  for  the  music 
they  expressed.  It  was  a  surprise  to  every  one 
on  board  the  Corona  to  hear  such  a  performance 
by  natives  in  this  isolated  spot  in  the  far  north. 
A  liberal  puise  was  handed  to  the  teacher  to  be 
divided  among  them. 

"  Do  you  know  what  they  will  do  with  this 
money  ?  "  he  asked,  gratefully. 

"  Purchase  some  trifle,  each  one  after  his  own 
fancy,"  we  replied. 

"  No,  sir,"  said  the  teacher,  "  they  will  tell  me, 
every  one  of  them,  to  purchase  some  new  music 
with  the  money,  which  they  can  practice  and  learn 
to  play  together." 

Their  means  are  of  course  quite  circumscribed, 
and  they  have  had  but  little  variety  afforded 
them,  either  in  school-books  or  music.  They  look 
upon  their  musical  tuition  as  a  reward  for  good 
behavior,  and  the  severest  punishment  to  them  is 
to  be  deprived  of  any  favorite  branch  of  instruc- 
tion. 

At  our  final  view  of  Sitka,  the  quaint  capital' of 
Alaska  was  lying  quiet  and  peacefully  at  the  feet 
of  Vestova,  while  enshrouded  in  a  voluptuous 
sheen  of  afternoon  sunlight.  A  rose-glow  rested 
on  everything,  beautifying  the  simplest  objects. 
Lofty,  thickly-wooded  hills  formed  the  back- 
ground, while  the  Greek  church  and  tlie  old  cas- 
tle  dominated   all    the   humbler  buildings.     The 


A   FINAL    VIEW.  319 

waters  of  the  island-dotted  bay  were  as  still  as  an 
inland  lake,  and  flooded  with  golden  reflections. 
Now  and  again  an  eagle  sailed  gracefully  from 
one  wooded  height  to  another,  and  the  hoarse 
croak  of  many  ravens,  held  sacred  by  the  Indians, 
greeted  the  ear.  A  few  United  States  soldiers 
lounged  about  their  barracks,  and  a  few  cannon 
were  arranged  upon  the  broad  common.  These 
were  light  fieldpieces,  more  for  show  than  for 
use.  Groups  of  natives  clad  iu  bright-colored 
blankets  were  seen  here  and  there  before  their 
simple  dwellings  which  line  the  beach.  A  broad, 
intensely  green  plateau  forms  the  centre  of  the  set- 
tlement, about  which  the  better  houses  of  the 
whites  are  situated.  A  little  to  the  left,  nearer  to 
the  hills,  is  the  curiously  arranged  burial-ground 
of  the  aborigines,  with  a  few  totem-poles,  and 
many  boxes  reared  above  ground  in  which  are  de- 
posited the  remains  of  former  chiefs.  On  a  slight 
rise  of  ground  stands  the  ancient  blockhouse,  built 
of  logs,  from  which  the  Russians  once  made  a  des- 
perate  fight  with  the  natives.  Behind  us  i\Iount 
Edgecombe  loomed  far  up  among  the  clouds,  where 
its  apex  was  half  hidden,  and  in  the  same  direc- 
tion, not  far  away,  was  the  open  Pacific.  It  was 
nearly  ten  o'clock  P.  M.  before  the  sun  set  behind 
the  distant  western  hills  in  a  blaze  of  scarlet, 
yellow,  and  purple,  reflected  by  soft,  butterfly 
clouds  and  mountain  tops  in  the  east.  After  that 
came  the  luminous  moonlight,  making  a  regal 
glory  of  the  darkness,  and  flashing  in  opal  gleams 
from  the  sea. 


320  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

While  watching  the  rippling  lustre  of  the  water, 
tremulous  with  starlight  and  the  languid  breath 
of  the  night  air,  one  was  fain  to  ask  if  it  was  all 
quite  real,  if  this  was  not  a  fancy  picture  from  the 
land  of  dreams.  Could  these  be  the  far-away 
shores  of  Alaska?  The  pathos  and  tenderness  of 
the  scene,  the  glow,  and  fire,  and  throbbing  love- 
liness, were  indescribable.  Even  the  few  fleecy 
clouds  which  sailed  between  us  and  the  planets 
seemed  as  if  they  came  to  waft  our  hymn  of  praise 
to  Heaven.  Is  not  such  surpassing  beauty  of  na- 
ture an  image  of  the  Infinite  One  ? 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

The  Return  Vqyage.  —  Prince  of  Wales  Island.  —  Peruliar 
Effects.  —  Island  and  Ocean  Voyages  contrasted.  —  Laby- 
rintli  of  Verdant  Islands.  —  Flora  of  the  North.  —  Political 
Condition  of  Alaska.  —  Return  to  Victoria.  —  What  Cloth- 
ing to  wear  on  tlie  Journey  North.  —  City  of  Vancouver.  — 
Scenes  in  British  Columbia. —  Through  the  Mountain  Ranges, 

The  return  voyage  from  Sitka  by  the  inland 
course  takes  us  first  through  Peril  Straits,  so 
named  on  account  of  its  many  submerged  rocks 
and  reefs.  It  is,  however,  a  wonderfully  pictur- 
esque passage  between  the  two  lofty  islands  of 
Chicagoff  and  Baranoff,  strewn  as  it  is  with  im- 
pediments to  navigation.  We  pass  the  Indian 
village  of  Kootznahoo,  occupied  by  a  tribe  of  the 
same  name,  a  people  who  have  always  proved  to 
be  restless  and  aggressive,  requiring  a  strong  hand 
to  control  them.  They  are  peaceable  enough  now, 
having  been  taught  some  severe  lessons  by  way  of 
discipline.  This  tribe  as  a  body  still  adheres  to 
many  of  the  revolting  practices  of  their  ances- 
tors, which  other  Alaskans,  who  are  brought  into 
more  intimate  relations  with  the  whites,  have  dis- 
carded. They  are  also  said  to  be  more  under 
the  influence  of  their  medicine-men,  who  foster  all 
sorts  of  vile  rites  and  superstitions,  without  the 
prevalence  of  which  their  occupation  and  impor- 
tance would  vanish. 


322  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

We  make  our  way  through  the  winding  chan- 
nels of  the  Alexander  Archipelago,  of  which  the 
Prince  of  Wales  Island  is  one  of  the  largest  and 
most  mountainous.  It  is  about  a  hundred  and 
seventy-five  miles  long  by  fifty  miles  in  width; 
that  is  to  say,  it  is  as  large  as  the  State  of  New 
Jersey,  and  in  fact  contains  more  square  miles. 
It  is  mostly  covered  with  dense  forests  of  Alaska 
cedar,  the  best  of  ship -timber.  The  shores  are 
indented  on  all  sides  by  fjords  extending  a  con- 
siderable distance  into  the  land.  Salmon  abound 
in  and  about  this  island,  which  has  led  to  the 
establishment  of  several  large  fish-cauninj;  facto- 
lies,  two  new  ones  being  added  during  the  past 
season.  The  principal  native  tribe  upon  the 
island  is  known  as  the  Haidas,  whose  vilhigea 
are  scattered  along  the  coast.  The  interior  of  the 
island  is  not  only  uninhabited,  but  it  is  unex- 
plored. The  shore  hamlets  are  called  "  rancher- 
ies."  Each  sub-tribe  has  a  special  one  represent- 
ing its  capital,  where  the  head  chiefs  live.  Their 
laws  seem  to  be  simply  a  series  of  conventional- 
ities. The  houses  of  these  Haidas  are  better 
structures  than  those  of  most  natives  of  the  Ter- 
ritoiy,  and  they  surround  themselves,,  as  a  rule, 
with  more  domestic  comforts.  Woolen  blankets 
appear  to  be  the  investment  in  which  all  the  spare 
means  of  the  members  of  this,  as  well  as  most 
other  tribes,  are  placed,  and  by  the  nutnber  they 
possess  they  estimate  their  wealth.  Woolen 
blankets,  in  fact,  averaging  in  value  from  two  dol-  I 
lars  and  a  half  to  three  and  a  half,  are  the  native 


IN   THE  ALEXASDKR   ARCHIPELAGO.     323 

currency  or  circulating  medium,  being  received  as 
such  when  in  good  condition;  and  also  given  out 
at  the  trading  stations  as  payment  to  natives  for 
furs  or  for  any  service,  unless  specie  is  preferred. 

The  meandering  course  of  the  steamer  brings  us 
now  before  one  Indian  hamlet  and  island,  and  now 
another;  but  these  villages  are  very  few  in  num- 
ber, hours,  and  even  a  whole  da}',  being  sometimes 
passed,  while  on  our  course,  without  meeting  a  sol- 
itary canoe  or  seeing  a  human  being  outside  the 
vessel's  bulwarks.  These  islands,  as  a  rule,  have 
no  gravelly  or  sandy  beach,  but  spring  abruptly 
from  out  the  almost  bottomless  sea,  in  their  pio- 
portions  ranging  from  an  acre  to  the  size  of  a  Eu- 
ropean! principality. 

Now  and  again  we  come  upon  a  reach  of  the 
shore  where  it  is  shelving,  and  for  a  mile  or  more 
it  is  bastioned  by  a  course  of  stones,  of  such  uni- 
form height  and  even  surface  as  to  seem  like  the 
work  of  clever  stone-masons.  Skilled  workers 
with  plummet  and  line  could  produce  nothing 
more  regular. 

In  some  places,  as  we  quietl}'  glide  close  in  to 
the  shadow  of  the  land,  shut  in  by  the  morning 
fog  and  mist  wreaths,  the  effects  are  very  curious 
and  even  startling.  It  not  being  possible  to  see 
very  far  up  the  shrouded  cliffs,  down  whose  sides 
there  rush  narrow,  silvery  cascades,  with  a  merry, 
laughing  sound,  they  often  have  the  appearance 
of  coming  directly  out  of  the  sky.  It  seems  as 
though  some  peak  had  punctured  one  of  the  over- 
charged cloufls,  and  it  was  pouring  out  its  liquid 
contents  througb  the  big  aperture. 


324  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

The  contrast  between  a  voyage  across  the  open 
ocean  and  a  sail  of  two  weeks  in  this  inland  sea  is 
notable.  In  the  former  instance  the  voyagers  find 
fruitful  themes  in  the  vast  expanse  and  fabulous 
depth  of  the  ocean,  the  huge  monsters  and  tiny 
creatures  occupying  it,  the  record  of  the  ship's 
progress,  her  exact  tonnage,  and  the  trade  in  which 
she  has  been  encjacred  since  she  was  launched. 
Few  persons  have  in  themselves  sufficient  intel- 
lectual resources  not  to  become  oppressed  with 
ennui  under  the  circumstances.  Between  Puget 
Sound  and  Glacier  Bay  how  different  is  the  expe- 
rience 1  There  is  no  monotony  here ;  every  mo- 
ment is  replete  with  curious  sights,  every  succeed- 
ing hour  full  of  fresh  discoveries.  The  panoramic 
view  is  crowded  all  day  long  with  sky-reaching 
mountains,  scarred  by  wild  convulsions  ;  verdant 
islands  embowered  in  giant  trees  ;  rocky  peaks  ris- 
ing from  the  bottom  of  the  sea  to  a  thousand  feet 
and  more  above  our  topmast  head ;  cascades  tum- 
bling down  precipitous  cliffs  ;  Indian  hamlets  dot- 
ted by  totem-poles ;  canoes  gliding  over  the  silent 
surface  of  the  deep  channels  ;  inlets  crowded  with 
schools  of  salmon  ;  mammoth  glaciers  emptying 
themselves  into  the  sea  and  forming  opaline  ice- 
bergs sharply  reflecting  the  sun's  dazzling  rays. 
There  is  no  time  for  ennui  among  such  scenes  as 
these ;  the  eyes  are  captivated  by  the  beauty  and 
the  variety,  while  the  imagination  is  constantly 
stimulated  to  its  utmost  capacity. 

The  flora  of  this  far  northern  country  does  not 
exhibit  the  wonderful  luxuriance  and  productive- 


AN  ATTRACTIVE   REGION.  325 

ness  which  captivates  us  in  the  tropics,  though  one 
gathers  some  extremely  attractive  specimens.  Nei- 
ther the  flowers,  the  insects,  nor  the  birtls  are 
marked  with  the  brilliancy  of  color  which  distin- 
guish those  bathed  continually  in  waves  of  equa- 
torial sunlight.  Here,  grandeur  prevails  over 
beauty  ;  the  trees,  if  not  so  verdant,  excel  in  size 
and  majesty;  the  mountains,  in  height;  the  riv- 
ers, in  volume  and  length  ;  while  the  glaciers  are 
without  comparison  in  magnitude  and  power. 
Here,  i"s  simplicity,  vastness,  magnificence;  there, 
fertility,  fragrance,  loveliness.  Neither  in  the 
north  nor  in  the  south  is  there  the  least  infringe- 
ment upon  the  great  harmonies  of  Nature;  admi- 
rable consistency  and  order  exist  everywhere,  typ- 
ifying a  great,  overruling,  supreme  Intelligence. 

We  pause  for  a  moment  amid  the  silent  tran- 
quillity to  sum  up  our  experience  while  gliding 
along  this  beautiful  and  peaceful  inland  sea  on 
the  return  voyage.  The  author  does  not  hesitate 
to  pi'onounce  Alaska  to  be  one  of  the  most  at- 
tractive regions  in  the  world  for  summer  tourists. 
From  early  June  to  September  the  temperature 
prevailing  upon  the  entire  route  is  equable,  the 
thermometer  ranging  all  the  while  between  sixty 
and  seventy  degrees  Fah.  The  progress  of  the 
steamer  always  creates  a  gentle  and  agreeable 
breeze,  which  renders  warm  clothing  desirable, 
especially  at  early  morning  and  in  the  evening, 
though  these  are  periods  not  so  distinctly  defined 
as  with  us  in  New  England.  An  overcoat  is 
rarelv    rendered    necessarv   or   desirable.     If   the 


326  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

mosquitoes  are  troublesome  at  certain  places  on 
shore,  in  niarsliy  regions,  they  are  never  so  on  the 
watei-,  as  the  bieeze  inevitably  drives  such  insects 
awMV.  Lt't  us  say  especially  there  is  no  other 
such  inviting  resort  for  pleasure  yachts  as  this 
inland,  island-dotted  sea  of  Alaska.  If  the  fogs 
put  in  an  appearance  sometimes  in  the  morning, 
they  are  after  awhile  burned  away  by  the  warmth 
of  the  sun.  Local  rains  on  shore  are  to  be  oc- 
casionally endured,  but  they  are  no  great  draw- 
back to  observation  and  brief  excursions.  At 
Sitka,  Wrangel,  and  Juneau  several  showers  may 
occur  during  the  day,  with  intervals  of  bright 
and  cloudless  skies  between.  We  have  witnessed 
seven  copious,  well-sustained  showers  of  rain  on 
a  Miiy  forenoon  in  Chicago,  the  intervals  sand- 
wicln'tl  with  sunshine  of  gorgeous  clearness  and 
warmth.  Why  pretend  that  Alaska  is  exceptional 
in  this  respect?  The  weather  is  not  ]>ei'fect,  ac- 
cording lo  our  estimate,  anywhere.  Finall}'^  the 
extended  trip  upon  the  boat  was  found  to  cover  a 
little  over  two  thousand  miles  in  all,  and  was  with 
us  one  of  continuous  pleasure,  enlivened  by  as 
bright  and  cheerful  weather  as  one  experiences 
on  an  average  elsewhere,  winding  among  an  im- 
mense archipelago  of  mountains,  emerald  islands, 
and  land-locked  bays,  through  narrow  channels 
dominat(Hl  by  precipitous  cliffs,  and  crossing  broad, 
lake-like  expanses  as  placid  as  the  serene  blue 
overhanging  all. 

No   other   government    on    the    globe,    in   this 
nineteenth  century,  would  permit  so  laige  and  im- 


POLITICAL   CONDITION  OF  ALASKA.      827 

portant  a  portion  of  its  territory  to  remain  unex- 
plored. Congress  should  send  at  once  a  thoroiighlv 
equipped  scientific  expedition,  competent  to  report 
minutely  upon  the  geology,  fauna,  flora,  and  geog- 
raphy of  this  immense  division  of  the  country. 
It  is  more  than  an  ttversight,  it  is  a  gross  blunder, 
not  to  do  this  without  further  delay.  It"  our  own 
pen-pictures  of  this  neglected  Tei  ritory  shall  in- 
cite to  the  fulfillment  of  such  an  act  of  ofiicial 
duty,  these  pages  will  have  served  at  least  one  im- 
portant purpose. 

"  With  a  comparatively  mild  climate,"  says  C. 
E.  S.  Wood,  in  an  account  of  a  visit  to  Alaska, 
printed  in  the  "  Century  Magazine,"  "  with  most 
valuable  shipbuilding  timber  covering  the  islands, 
with  splendid  harbors,  with  inexhaustible  fisheries, 
with  an  abundance  of  coal,  with  copper,  lead, 
silver,  and  gold  awaiting  the  prnspei-tor,  it  is 
surprising  that  an  industiious,  shipbuilding,  fish- 
ing colony  from  New  England  or  other  States  has 
not  established  itself  in  Alaska." 

The  political  condition  of  Alaska  is  anything 
but  creditable  to  our  countr}'.  It  has  little  more 
than  the  shadow  of  a  civil  government,  atid  is  en- 
tirely without  any  land  laws  by  which  a  resident 
can  secure  a  title  to  the  soil  upon  which  he  builds 
his  house.  The  act  of  Congress  dated  ^Nlay  7, 
1884,  providing  an  apology  for  a  civil  government, 
was  not  passed  until  twenty  years  after  the  Terri- 
tory had  been  acquired.  As  a  consequence  the 
material  progress  of  the  country  and  its  inviting 
possibilities    remain    undeveloped.     With  the  ex- 


828  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

tension  of  the  United  States  local  laws  to  this 
section,  immigration  would  be  at  once  promoted 
and  various  industries  established.  "  Why  we  are 
so  neglected  is  incomprehensible,"  said  a  resident 
of  Sitka.  "  All  we  ask  is  the  same  advantages 
enjoyed  by  the  citizens  of  the  other  Territories  of 
the  United  States."  It  is  certainly  to  be  hoped 
that  Congress  will  give  early  attention  to  this 
important  matter,  for  Alaska  is  destined  to  become 
one  of  our  most  valuable  possessions.  We  shall 
be  excused  for  making  use  of  so  strong  an  expres- 
sion, but  it  is  only  too  true  that  her  interests  have 
been  persistently  and  shamefully  neglected  by  the 
law-makers  at  Washington. 

"  Like  the  dog  in  the  manger,"  says  Miss  Kate 
Field,  "Congress  will  do  nothing  for  Alaska,  nor 
will  it  permit  Alaska  to  do  anything  for  herself 
locally,  or  at  Washington  through  a  delegate. 
Yet,  in  1890,  two  islands  of  this  despised  and 
neglected  province  will  have  paid  into  the  United 
States  Treasury '$6,340,000,  —  within  one  million 
of  Alaska's  entire  purchase  !  " 

Tiie  present  comparative  isolation  of  Alaska 
will  not  be  of  lonj;  duration  ;  not  onlv  are  the 
facilities  for  reaching  the  Territory  being  annually 
increased  from  the  east,  but  it  is  being  also  rapidly 
approached  in  this  respect  from  the  west.  The 
Russian  government  is  building  a  railroad  in 
almost  a  straight  line  from  Moscow  to  Behring 
Sea,  which  it  is  confidently  believed  will  be  com- 
pleted within  five  years.  Direct  communication 
will  thus  be  established  between  St.  Petersburg 


TOURING  DRESS.  329 

and  the  Russian  Pacific  ports,  through  Siberia, 
whose  most  easterly  point  is  less  than  forty  miles 
from  the  soil  of  Alaska. 

After  sailing  four  or  five  clays  southward,  bear- 
ing always  slightly  to  the  east,  through  a  wilder- 
ness of  islands  and  along  the  mountain-fiiiiged 
coast  of  the  mainland,  the  ship  comes  upon  the 
open  sea,  and  the  passengers  realize  for  a  short 
time  the  effect  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  swell.  The 
sensitiveness  of  some  people  to  its  influence  is  as 
reniiirkable  as  the  stolid  indifference  of  others. 
Here,  where  the  Japanese  Current  meets  the  cold 
air  from  off  the  coast,  fogs  are  very  liable  to  pre- 
vail, though  it  was  not  so  in  the  writer's  case.  We 
are  now  in  comparatively  open  navigation  and  can 
lay  our  course  without  fear.  Soon  Queen  Char- 
lotte's Sound  is  entered,  and  for  a  day  and  a  half 
the  steamer  again  skirts  the  picturesque  shore  of 
Vancouver,  whose  features  are  reproduced  in  the 
deep,  quiet  waters  with  marvelous  distinctness, 
until  finally  we  are  once  more  landed  at  Victoria, 
the  capital  of  British  Columbia. 

We  are  frequently  asked  since  our  return  what 
clothing  and  other  articles  one  should  take,  with 
which  to  make  the  inland  voyage  through  Alaskan 
waters.     This  is  easily  answered. 

As  the  rainfall  is  frequent  be  sure  to  have  a 
good  stout  umbrella.  Ladies  would  do  well  to 
take  a  gossamer  waterproof  and  gentlemen  a 
mackintosh.  Heavy  shoes,  that  is  Avith  double 
soles,  and  a  light  overcoat  should  be  provided. 
There  is  no  occasion  for  fuLl  dress, — court  dress, 


330  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

on  this  route,  swallow-tails  are  so  much  needless 
baggage.  Ladies'  skirts  should  be  short  so  they 
will  not  draggle  on  tlie  wet  deck  of  the  steamer, 
or  in  walking  through  the  damp  grass,  or  over  the 
surface  of  a  glacier.  In  the  latter  instance  gentle- 
men generally  carry  portable  spikes  that  can  be 
screwed  on  to  the  bottom  of  the  shoes,  and  a  staff 
cane  with  a  stout  ferule.  When  a  party  is  formed 
to  ascend  a  glacier  a  small  hatchet  and  small  rope 
should  always  be  taken  by  some  one  of  their  num- 
ber. In  case  of  an  accident  these  often  become  of 
great  importance.  There  need  not  be  any  acci- 
dent, however,  if  ordinary  prudence  is  observed. 

A  large  and  well-appointed  steamer  named  the 
Islander,  which  plies  legularly  on  this  route, 
takes  one  across  the  island-sprinkled  Gulf  of 
Georgia  in  six  or  seven  hours  from  Victoria 
to  Vancouver  on  the  mainland.  Tliis  is  the  ter- 
minus of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway,  situated 
a  short  distance  from  the  mouth  of  the  Fraser 
River.  From  here  the  homeward  course  is  almost 
due  east  through  British  Columbia,  Alberta,  As- 
siniboia,  Manitoba,  Ontario,  and  Quebec  to  Mon- 
treal, thence  southeast  to  Boston. 

So  late,  as  1886  the  present  site  of  Vancouver 
was  covered  with  a  dense  forest  of  Douglass  pines, 
cedar  and  spruce  trees.  The  Canadian  Pacific 
Railway  was  completed  to  Vancouver  in  May, 
1887,  when  the  fust  through  train  arrived  from 
Montreal.  The  youthful  city  is  well  situated  for 
commercial  purposes  on  what  is  called  Burrard 
Inlet*    It  has  extensive  wharves,  substantial  ware- 


CITY  OF    VANCOUVER.  331 

houses,  and  very  good  hotel  accommodations. 
Well-arranged  public  water-works  bring  the  need- 
ful domestic  supply  in  pure  and  healthful  condi- 
tion from  the  neighboring  hills.  The  surrounding 
scenery  is  strikingly  bold,  embracing  the  Cascade 
Range  in  the  north,  the  mountains  of  Vancouver 
Island  across  the  water  in  the  west,  and  the  Olym- 
pian Range  in  the  south,  while  the  great  snowy 
head  of  Mount  Baker  rears  itself  skyward  as  the 
main  feature  in  the  southeast.  The  steamer  whicli 
brings  us  here  from  Victoria  pusses  through  a 
beautiful  archipelago  of  peaceful  islands,  verdant 
and  wooded  to  the  very  brink.  The  busy  popula- 
tion of  this  infant  city  number  between  thirteen 
and  fourteen  thousand,  and  the  place  is  growing 
rapidly.  It  is  lighted  by  both  gas  and  electricity. 
Forty  substantial  edifices  for  business  and  dwell- 
ing purposes  are  in  course  of  erection  at  this  writ- 
ing. There  are  steamers  which  sail  regularly 
from  here  for  Japan,  China,  and  San  Francisco. 
As  it  is  in  the  midst  of  what  may  be  called  a 
wild  country,  there  is  excellent  hunting  near  at 
hand  and  large  game  is  abundant.  Many  sports- 
men, especially  from  England,  make  their  head- 
quarters here  while  devoting  themselves  to  hunting 
for  a  large  part  of  the  summer  season.  Four  large 
English  sloops  of  war  were  observed  in  the  harbor 
at  the  time  of  the  writer's  visit,  together  wilh  a 
couple  of  torpedo  boats  bearing  the  same  flag,  des- 
tined for  Behring  Sea,  to  "emphasize  "  the  British 
side  of  the  Alaska  fishery  question  as  between  our 
government  and  that  of  Great  Britain. 


332  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

As  one  staiitls  on  the  shore  the  harbor  presents 
a  picture  of  great  variety  and  interest,  compris- 
ing men-of-war  boats  })ulleil  by  disciplined  crews; 
canoes,  paddled  by  Indian  squaws  wiapped  in  high- 
colored  blankets;  boats  loaded  with  valuable  furs 
and  propelled  by  aboriginal  hunters;  here  a  raft 
of  timber,  and  there  a  steam  ferry-boat.  Just  in 
shore  there  is  passing  as  we  watch  the  scene  a 
native  canoe  carrying  a  sail  made  of  bark-mat- 
ting, brown  and  dingy,  steered  with  a  paddle  by 
an  aged,  withered,  white-haired  Indian,  while  in 
the  prow  is  a  four  or  five  year  old  native  boy, 
trailing  his  hands  idly  in  the  water  over  the  side  of 
the  tiny  craft.  A  striking  picture  of  the  voyage 
of  life :  thoughtless,  happv^  vigorous  youth  at 
the  prow,  with  weary  age  and  experience  awaiting 
the  end  at  the  stern.  A  couple  of  large  steamers 
close  at  hand  are  getting  under  way  loaded  with 
preserved  fish,  put  up  at  the  canneries  near  bj'  ; 
one  is  bound  for  Australia,  the  other  for  England, 
by  way  of  Cape  Horn. 

Vancouver  has  many  edifices  of  brick  and  stone, 
with  good  churches  and  several  schools;  some  of 
the  private  residences  being  remarkable  for  their 
complete  architectural  character  in  so  new  a  city 
as  this  which  forms  the  terminus  of  the  Canadian 
Pacific  Railway. 

The  princijial  part  of  the  city  occupies  a  penin- 
sula, bounded  north  by  the  waters  of  Burrard  In- 
let, south  by  a  small  indentation  called  False  Creek, 
and  west  by  Englisli  Bay.  The  city  is  fast  ex- 
tending beyond  these  limits,  both  east  and  south. 


THE  LONG  JOURNEY  HOMEWARD.       333 

The  peninsula  rises  gradually  to  an  altitude  of 
two  hundred  feet,  more  or  less,  aflfording  the  means 
of  perfect  drainage  for  the  new  city,  which  is  laid 
out  on  a  grand  scale.  A  tramway,  embracing  the 
several  submbs,  is  in  course  of  construction,  the 
motoi-  for  which  will  be  electricity. 

We  take  the  cars  at  Vancouver  for  our  long 
journey  homeward  over  the  Canadian  Pacific  Rail- 
way, through  the  British  Dominion  to  the  Atlan- 
tic coast,  indulging  in  a  last  admiring  view  of  the 
grand  elevation  known  as  Mount  Baker,  which  in 
these  closing  days  of  July  is  a  mass  of  snow  two 
thous;»nd  feet  from  its  summit.  Upon  starting 
our  attention  is  first  drawn  to  the  gigantic  trees, 
big  sawmills,  immense  piles  of  lumber,  and  exten- 
sive brick-yards  in  the  environs  of  the  city.  Small 
villages  are  passed,  straggling  farms,  Indian  camps, 
mining  lodges,  and  Chinese  "hives,"  where  these 
people  congregate  after  working  all  day  at  placer 
mining,  and  gamble  half  the  night,  sacrificing 
their  laboriously  acquired  means.  The  grand 
winding  valley  of  the  Fraser  River  —  a  water- 
course as  large  as  the  Ohio  —  is  followed  for  over 
two  hundred  miles  in  a  nortlieasterly  direction, 
affording  glimpses  of  most  charming  and  vivid 
scenery,  leading  through  canons  fully  equaling  in 
grandeur  of  form  and  beauty  of  detail  anything 
of  the  sort  in  Colorado. 

Now  and  again  groups  of  Indians  are  seen  pre- 
paring the  salmon  tlu-y  have  caught  for  winter 
use.  The  fish  are  split  and  stretched  flat  by 
wooden  braces,  then  hung  in  long  pink  lines  upon 


334  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

low  frames  of  wood.  The}^  use  no  salt  in  this  cur- 
ing process,  but  simply  dry  the  fish  by  atmos- 
pheric exposure,  and  succeed  very  well  in  thus 
preserving  it.  Dried  salmon  forms  the  principal 
staj)le  of  food  for  this  people  in  the  long  Canadian 
winters.  These  natives,  as  in  our  own  instance, 
are  subsidized  by  the  Dominion  ;  that  is,  they  are 
placed  upon  reservations  and  receive  a  certain 
amount  of  money  and  rations  annually  from  the 
government.  Light  green  patches  of  raspberries 
are  passed  here  and  there,  where  children  are  gath- 
ering the  ripe  fruit  in  abundance,  the  bright  color 
about  their  mouths  betraying  how  abundantly  they 
have  feasted  while  thus  engaged.  It  was  a  pleas- 
ant picture  to  gaze  upon  under  the  pearly  blue 
sky,  where  we  were  suirounded  with  the  fragrant 
odor  of  pine  and  spruce,  and  the  ceaseless  music 
of  hurrying  waters. 

At  times  the  river  rushes  through  deep  rocky 
ravines,  and  at  others  expands  into  broad  shallows 
with  glittering  sand  bars,  on  which  eager  groups 
of  miners  are  seen  washing  for  gold.  We  cross  a 
deep,  cavernous  gorge  of  the  river  on  a  graceful 
steel  bridge,  which,  though  doubtless  of  ample 
stiength,  yet  seems  of  spider-web  proportions,  then 
plunge  into  a  dark  tunnel  to  emerge  directly  amid 
scenery  of  the  wildest  nature,  set  with  huge  bowl- 
ders and  noisy  with  boiling  flumes  and  roaring 
cascades,  where  color,  splendor,  and  inspiration 
greet  us  at  each  turn,  while  every  object  is  soft- 
ened by  the  pale  afternoon  sunlight. 

By  and  by  we  pass  up  the  valley  of  the  Thom- 


1 


THROUGH  THE   GOLD  RANGE.  335 

son  River,  a  tributary  of  the  Fraser,  finding  our- 
selves presently  in  what  is  called  the  Gold,  or  Co- 
lumbian, range  of  mountains,  a  grand  snow-clad 
series  of  hills.  Our  route  through  them  for  nearly 
fifty  miles  is  in  the  form  of  a  deep,  narrow  pass 
between  vertical  cliHs,  forming  land  channels  sim- 
ilar to  the  water-ways  which  we  have  latel}'^  left 
behind  us  in  the  Alexander  Archipelago. 

At  the  small  stations  boys  and  girls  board  the 
cars  with  tiny  baskets  of  luscious  blackberries  and 
ripe  raspberries  for  sale,  soon  disposing  of  them  to 
the  passengers.  These  are  picked  within  a  dozen 
rods  of  the  railway  track,  where  they  are  seen  ia 
great  abundance.  Wild  flowers  beautify  the  road- 
way, among  which  the  most  attractive  are  the 
golden-rod,  the  bright  pink  fire-weed,  the  towering 
and  graceful  spirea,  the  wild  musk  with  its  large 
bell-shaped  scarlet  flower,  the  fragrant  tansy,  with 
snow-ball  clusters  of  white,  and  big  patches  of  the 
tiny  wild  sunflower,  its  petals  in  deepest  yellow, 
while  among  the  lily-pads  dotting  the  pools  of  wa- 
ter, orange-hued  lilies  are  in  full  and  gorgeous 
bloom. 

The  scenery  is  strictly  Alpine,  but  constantly 
varies  as  our  point  of  view  changes,  and  we  thread 
miles  upon  miles  of  snow-sheds.  Heavy  veils  of 
mist  fringe  the  mountain-tops,  and  the  tall  peaks 
are  wrapped  in  winding-sheets  of  perpi-tual  snow. 
The  ruGsed  scenerv  is  fine,  but  finer  is  vet  to 
come.  Still  climbing  upwards,  we  are  presently  in 
the  Selkirks,  threading  tunnels,  dark  gorges,  som- 
bre canons,  and  narrow  passes  to  the   summit  of 


336  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

this  remarkable  range,  forced  onward  by  two  pow- 
erful engines,  one  in  the  rear  the  other  in  front  of 
the  train. 

At  a  point  known  as  Albert  Canon  the  railway 
runs  along  the  brink  of  several  dark  fissuies  in 
the  solid  rock,  three  hundred  feet  deep,  through 
which  rushes  the  turbulent  waters  of  the  lUicilli- 
waet  River  ("  Raging  Waters  ").  Here  the  cars 
are  stopped  for  a  few  moments  that  the  passengers 
may  the  better  observe  the  boiling  flumes  of  angry 
waters,  flecked  with  patches  of  foam,  and  corn- 
pressed  within  granite  walls  scarcely  twenty  feet 
apart. 

In  approaching  Glacier  House  station,  at  a  cer- 
tain point  the  train  ascends  six  hundred  feet  in  a 
distance  of  two  miles.  This  is  accomplished  by 
a  zigzag  course,  utilizing  two  ravines  which  are 
favorably  situated  for  the  purpose  ;  the  consum- 
mation is  a  grand  triumph  of  engineering  skill. 
While  passing  through  this  winding  course  we  are 
serenaded  by  a  chorus  of  dancing  rapids,  foam- 
ing cataracts,  and  rushing  cascades.  Here  the 
torrents  and  waterfalls  are  innumerable,  first  on 
one  side  then  on  the  other  of  our  slowly-climb- 
ing train,  and  finally  on  both  the  right  and  the 
left,  gleaming  with  bright  prismatic  rays  while 
moving  with  tremendous  impetus.  Sir  Donald, 
the  highest  peak  of  the  Selkiik  Range,  shaped  like 
an  acute  pyramid,  now  comes  into  view,  rising  to 
eleven  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
and  piercing  the  blue  zenith  with  its  inaccessible 
summit.     It  is  named  after  one  of  the  most  ac- 


SIR  DONALD.  337 

tive  promoters  of  this  transcontinental  railway. 
Sir  Donald  sends  down  from  its  immense  snow- 
fields  a  ponderous  glacier  half  a  mile  wide  and 
eight  miles  long,  presenting  most  of  the  charac- 
teristics of  such  frozen  rivei's,  thouo-h  lacking:  the 
grand  effect  of  those  so  lately  seen  in  Alaska, 
where  they  join  the  ocean  in  partially  congealed 
form,  thus  producing  thousands  of  icebergs.  This 
Donald  glacier  is  nevertheless  equal  to  the  average 
of  European  ones.  The  mountain  has  never  yet 
been  nscended.  We  were  told  tiiat  a  thousand 
dollars  and  a  free  pass  over  the  railway  for  life 
await  the  successful  mountain-climber  who  reaches 
the  summit. 

In  making  our  way  through  Beaver  Canon  and 
Stony  Creek  Canon,  the  highest  timber  railway 
bridge  ever  constructed  is  passed,  three  hundred 
feet  Iiigh  and  four  hundred  and  fifty  long,  sup- 
ported by  direct  uprights.  Safe  enough,  per- 
haps, but  one  breathes  freer  and  deeper  when  it 
is  passed. 

It  would  seem  as  though  mosquitoes  could  hardly 
thrive  at  such  an  altitude,  but  their  number  here 
is  myriad,  and  their  vicious  activity  at  Glacier 
House  station  beggars  description. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

In  the  Heart  of  tlie  Rocky  ^Mountains.  — Strujrgle  in  a  Thunder- 
Storm. —  Grand  Scenery.  —  Snou-Cappcd  Moiintninsand  Ghi- 
ciers.  —  Banff  Hot  Springs.  —  The  Canadian  Park.  —  Eastern 
Gate  of  the  Rockies. —  Calgary.  —  Natural  Gas  — Cree  and 
Blackfect  Indians.  —  Regina.  —  Farming  on  a  Big  Scale.  — 
Port  Artliur.  —  North  Side  of  Lake  Superior.  —  A  Midsum- 
mer Niglit's  Dream. 

Rogers'  Pass,  at  an  altitude  of  four  thousand 
two  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet  above  the  sea, 
is  situated  between  two  ranges  of  snow-clad  peaks, 
whence  a  dozen  glaciers  may  be  seen  in  various 
directions,  frigid  and  ponderous. 

As  we  came  through  this  remarkable  pass,  in 
the  afternoon,  dark  clouds  rapidly  spread  them- 
selves over  the  sky,  reinforced  by  others  more 
dense  and  threatening,  engulfing  us  suddenly  in 
darkness.  Then  the  artillery  of  the  heavens  rang 
out  in  such  deafening  reports  as  to  stifle  all  at- 
tempts at  speech.  The  discharges  and  echoes 
among  the  gloomy  gulches  and  tall  peaks  min- 
gled so  rapidly  th;it  it  was  impossible  to  separate 
cause  and  elTect.  The  rain  was  like  a  cloud-burst. 
The  sharp  flashes  of  lightning  were  so  incessant 
and  blinding  that  one  sat  with  closed  eyes  and 
bated  breath.  The  great  locomotive  could  bandy 
make  way  on  the  steep  up-grade,  the  wheels  hav- 
ing so  much  less  hold  upon  the  track  when  thus 


A   MOUNTAIN  STORM.  339 

submerged.  Passengers  looked  into  each  otlier's 
pale  faces  in  fear  and  amazement.  Still  tlie  slow, 
regular  throh^  throb,  of  the  iron  horse  was  liea-rd 
through  the  din  of  the  thunder  and  the  roar  of 
rushing  waters.  We  did  move  forward,  —  barely 
moved.  To  stop  would  be  destruction  ;  backward 
impetus  would  instantly  follow,  and  no  brakes 
are  powerful  enough  to  stop  the  train  from  a  dash 
downward  towards  the  plain  if  once  it  started  in 
that  direction.  But  stay.  Soon  there  came  a 
faint  glimmer  of  light  from  out  of  the  sky,  gradu- 
ally this  increased,  the  dark  pall  of  the  heavens 
was  slowlj'  removed,  and  the  afternoon  sun  burst 
forth  with  soft,  ineffable  beauty.  The  thunder 
sounded  farther  and  farther  away,  the  echoes 
ceased,  and  the  throb,  throb  of  the  ponderous  en- 
gine steadily  held  the  long  train  and  forced  the 
great  load  onward. 

At  Field  station,  in  the  heart  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  we  begin  an  ascent  of  twelve  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  with  two  powerful  engines,  where 
the  roadway  is  cut  out  of  the  sides  of  nearly  per- 
pendicular clifTs  to  wliich  it  seems  to  cling  with 
iron  grasp,- overhanging  the  roaring  torrent  of  the 
Kicking  Horse  River,  which  flows  at  a  fabulous 
depth  below.  Here  we  cross  now  and  agaiu  trestle 
bridges,  three  hundred  feet  above  some  frightful 
gorge,  or  pass  over  a  viaduct  of  great  span.  The 
highest  point  of  the  road  is  reached  at  fifty-thiee 
hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  or  say 
just  one  vertical  mile.  This  extreme  elevation  is 
about  five  hundred  miles  from  Vancouver. 


840  THE  NEW  ELDORADO.^ 

The  scenery  at  this  point  is  grand  beyond  de- 
scription, thrilling  the  whole  nervous  system  while 
we  gaze  at  it  and  vainly  strive  to  comprehend  its 
vastness.  The  very  excess  of  emotion  makes  one 
dumb.  The  most  experienced  traveler  watches 
the  clianfjinof  scene  with  a  vivid  interest.  So 
wild,  so  comprehensive,  and  so  startling  a  natural 
panf)rama  is  rarely  met  with  in  any  land.  A 
longing  comes  over  the  observer  to  divide  the 
ecstasy  of  the  moment  with  the  loved  ones  left  be- 
hind. No  joy  is  complete  which  is  not  shared  ;  it 
is  no  hermit  quality,  but  was  born  a  twin.  Moun- 
tains, valleys,  glacier-bound  peaks,  domes,  spires, 
and  snow-capped  pyramids  are  seen  in  all  direc- 
tions, brought  out  in  minute  detail  by  the  singu- 
lar clearness  of  the  atmosphere.  Tall  forests  are 
spread  out  far,  far  below  our  feet,  the  mammoth 
trees  looking  no  larger  than  pen  handles,  while 
the  river  winds  like  a  broad  silver  belt  through 
the  green  sward  of  the  valley.  Thus  the  Canadian 
Pacific  Railway  passes  for  hundreds  of  miles  along 
glacial  streams  in  full  sight  of  the  frozen  rivers 
which  feed  them. 

By  and  by  we  come  in  view  of  Castle  Moun- 
tain, five  thousand  feet  in  height,  which,  with  a 
little  help  of  the  imagination,  becomes  a  giant's 
keej),  tuireted,  bastioned,  and  battiemented.  At 
another  point  of  view  it  presents  a  remarkable 
resemblance  to  the  grand  Indian  Temple  of  Tan- 
jore.  A  short  distance  farther  and  we  reach 
Banff,  where  a  couple  of  days  were  most  agreeji- 
bly  passed   by  the   author.     The  railway  station 


THE   CANADIAN  PARK.  341 

here  is  in  the  midst  of  sk3'-pic'rcing  heights,  whose 
first  impression  upon  the  traveler  is  both  solemn 
and  lonely.  To  the  northward  stands  Cascade 
Mountain,  nearly  ten  thousand  feet  in  height; 
eastward  is  Mount  Inglismaldie,  beyond  which 
looms  up  the  sharp  cone  of  Mount  Peechee,  reach- 
ing more  than  ten  thousand  feet  into  the  blue 
ether.  Close  at  hand  rises  the  thickly  wooded 
ridge  of  Squaw  Mountain,  in  wliose  shadow  lie  the 
beautiful  Vermilion  Lakes,  the  home  of  myriads 
of  wild  geese  and  ducks.  Other  mountains  are  in 
view,  but  in  the  memorable  tableau  which  we  re- 
call the  grand  peaks  we  have  mentioned  are  the 
most  prominent. 

This  is  the  station  for  the  Rocky  Mountain 
Park,  the  altitude  being  forty-five  hundred  feet 
above  the  sea.  At  this  point  the  Canadian  gov- 
ernment has  established  a  national  reservation 
after  the  plan  of  our  Yellowstone  Park,  between 
which  and  this  place  lies  five  hundi'ed  snilesof  the 
wildest  sort  of  country.  Tiiere  is  no  comparison 
between  the  two  parks,  either  in  size,  importance, 
or  natural  wonders.  This  reservation  is  twenty- 
six  miles  long  by  ten  in  width,  embracing  portions 
of  three  rivers,  with  two  considerable  lakes,  cas- 
cades, and  waterfalls.  The  scenery  could  not  be 
otherwise  than  bold,  being  in  the  midst  of  such  a 
mountain  range  and  suri'ounded  by  such  monarch 
elevations.  Money  is  to  be  freely  expended  in 
making  good  paths,  together  with  convenient  av- 
enues and  bridges. 

The  Pacific  Railway  Hotel  at  Banff  is  a  large, 


342  THE   NEW  ELDORADO. 

adinirabl}'  situated,  and  picturesque  establishment, 
designed  to  accommodate  fioui  two  to  three  hun- 
dred guests  at  a  time,  and  is  especially  patronized 
by  Canadian  bridal  parties.  The  view  from  it  is 
superb,  commanding  the  winding  course  of  the 
Bow  River  and  valley  for  miles,  with  the  many 
adjacent  mountains.  The  river  pours  swiftly 
down  from  its  sources  among  the  snow  fields,  and 
plunges  seventy  feet  over  rock  and  precipice  close 
beside  the  hotel,  passing  almost  beneath  our  feet 
as  we  stand  up(m  the  broad  piazza,  gazing  in  ad- 
miration at  the  grand  scenic  carnival,  and  listen- 
ing to  the  tliiilling  anthem  of  the  rushing  waters, 
while  breathing  the  soft  aroma  of  the  Douglas 
pine  and  cedar  forests  which  cover  the  surrounding 
slopes.  The  region  in  proximity  to  the  hotel  will 
give  the  lover  of  fishing  ample  sport.  Trout  of 
large  size  abound  in  Devil's  Lake  near  at  hand. 
A  guest  brought  in  forty  pounds  of  this  gamey 
fish,  caught  in  two  hours'  time  in  the  lake,  while 
the  author  was  at  Banff.  Wild  sheep  and  moun- 
tain goats  abound  in  the  neighboring  hills,  while 
bears  are  more  numerous  than  is  desirable.  Wild- 
cats, mountain  lions,  deer,  and  caribou  are  also 
frequently  shot  by  the  hunters.  The  restriction 
as  to  USB  of  firearms  which  is  established  in  the 
Yellowstone  Park  does  not  apply  in  this  region. 
Sportsmen  roam  whiMe  they  please  and  freely 
hunt  the  wild  animals  which  roan)  in  this  section 
of  the  country.  Good  roads  and  bridle  paths  take 
one  in  all  direations  among  some  of  the  finest 
scenery  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  where  we  watch 


BANFF  HOT  SPRl.SGS.  343 

the  morning  sun  dispel  the  mist  which  floats  up- 
ward and  away,  disclosing  the  snow-decked  peaks 
in  their  viigiii  whiteness  blushing  roseate  tints  at 
the  ardor  of  the  sun. 

This  is  called  the  eastern  gateway  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  tiirough  which  the  grand  Bow  River 
flows  on  its  diversified  journey  of  fifteen  hundred 
miles  to  Hudson  Bay. 

There  are  extensive  hot  springs  on  the  eastern 
slope  of  what  is  known  as  the  Sulphur  Range, 
some  six  thousand  feet  above  tlie  sea  level.  They 
are  at  different  elevations,  and  have  good  bathing- 
houses  erected  over  them,  in  chai'ge  of  courteous 
attendants.  One  of  the  springs  is  inside  of  a 
dome -roofed  cave,  which  is  a  favorite  resort  of 
visitors  to  Banff.  The  medicinal  character  of 
these  springs  is  considered  so  important  that  an 
iron  pipe  two  miles  in  length  conducts  their 
heated  waters  for  use  at  the  hotel,  the  normal 
temperature  being  sustained  by  metallii;  coils  of 
superheated  steam.  It  rains  much  and  often  in 
this  region.  The  weeping  clouds  make  one  feel 
rather  gloomy,  purely  out  of  sympathy  for  their 
ceaseless  tears,  but  when  the  sun  finally  asserts 
his  power  and  lifts  the  misty  veil,  then  come  forth 
in  bold  contrast  silvery,  sparkling,  sky-reach- 
ing mountains,  covered  with  their  frosty  mantles, 
together  with  richly  wooded  valleys  and  liver- 
threaded  canons,  opening  views  of  uniivalcd  sub- 
limity and  grandeur. 

At  Anthracite,  five  hundred  and  seventy  miles 
from  Vancouver,  we  are  forty-three  hundred  and 


344  THE  ^'EW  ELDORADO. 

fifty  feet  above  the  sea.  Here  are  the  remarkable 
coal  mines  located  in  the  Fairholme  Range,  a  true 
anthracite  of  excellent  quality  and  of  great  im- 
portance to  the  railway.  The  pass  through  which 
the  road  takes  us  is  four  miles  wide,  great  masses 
of  serrated  rocks  rising  on  either  side,  back  of 
which  mountains  tower  above  each  other  as  far 
as  the  eye  can  reach,  forming  long  vistas  of  lofty 
elevations  so  numerous  as  not  to  bear  individual 
names. 

At  Calgary,  about  a  hundred  miles  farther  east- 
ward, we  are  still  thirty-four  hundred  feet  above 
the  sea.  This  is  a  particularly  handsome  and 
thriving  young  town,  scarcely  four  years  old,  but 
containing  three  thousand  inhabitants.  It  is  pleas- 
antly situated  on  a  hill-girt  plateau,  in  full  view 
of  the  jagged  peaks  of  the  Rockies,  thirty  or  forty 
miles  away,  and  which,  as  we  look  back  upon 
them,  form  a  vast  blue  and  white  crescent  ex- 
tending aroimd  the  western  horizon.  Two  placid 
rivers,  the  Bow  and  Elbow,  wind  through  the 
broad  green  valley,  adding  a  charming  feature  as 
they  mingle  with  the  tall  waving  grass.  Here 
cattle  and  sheep  ranches  abound,  extending  west- 
ward to  the  very  foot-hills  of  the  gretit  mountain 
range,  and  stretching  far  away  to  the  southward 
a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  the  United  States 
boundary  line.  We  were  told  that  the  cattle  and 
horses  ranging  over  this  space  would  aggregate 
two  hundred  thousand  head. 

As  we  passed  through  the  Province  of  Alberta 
at  night,  occasionally  jets  of  flaming  natural  gas, 


CROSSING   THE  PRAIRIE.  845 

whicli  finds  vent  througli  the  soil  from  reservoirs 
located  at  uiikiiown  depths,  were  bmnint^  brightly 
to  light  us  on  the  way.  This  gas,  so  liberally  sup- 
plied by  nature  free  of  cost,  is  utilized  to  create  a 
motive  power  at  Langevin,  where  it  pumps  water 
for  the  use  of  the  railway.  Representatives  of 
the  aboriginal  Cree  and  Blackfeet  tribes  form 
picturesque  groups  along  the  railway  Hue,  com- 
posed of  barbarous,  uncleanly  looking  squaws  and 
bucks,  the  latter  only  kept  from  the  warpath  by 
the  presence  of  the  efficient  mounted  police. 

The  contrast  presented  in  emeiging  from  the 
mountain  ranges  on  to  tlie  level  country  is  very  re- 
markable. For  hundreds  of  miles  we  pass  through 
an  almost  uninhabited,  treeless  country,  a  long, 
long  reach  of  prairie  as  boundless  as  the  sea,  and 
where  no  more  of  human  life  is  seen  than  on  the 
ocean.  There  are  no  hills,  scarcely  any  undula- 
tions;  the  sun  rises  apparently  out  of  the  groiuid 
in  Ihe  early  gray  of  the  morning,  and  sets  in  the 
endless  level  of  the  prairie  at  night.  Small  sta- 
tions, twenty  or  thirty  miles  apart,  have  been  built 
by  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway  Company,  con- 
sisting of  a  dwelling-house  and  a  water-tank  for 
the  necessary  supply  of  its  engines,  but  the  line 
is  thus  characterized  through  a  thousand  miles, 
where  there  is  no  way  travel,  and  no  local  busi- 
ness, outside  of  its  own  necessities.  Tlie  infer- 
ence is  plain  that  it  crosses  this  distance  at  ex- 
traordinary expense,  which  must  be  supported  by 
the  terminal  business  ou  the  Pacific  and  Atlantic 
ends  of  the  road. 


346  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

The  Cree  and  Blackfeet  tribes  are  said  to  have 
no  religion  and  few  superstitions,  being  a  restless, 
dangerous  race,  ranking  very  low  in  point  of  in- 
telligence, even  as  savages.  The  efforts  of  the 
missionaries,  we  were  told,  have  entirely  failed  to 
civilize  or  even  permanently  to  improve  the  con- 
dition if  the  two  tribes  we  have  named.  The 
women  are  hideously  ugly,  smeared  with  vermil- 
ion, and  weighed  down  with  cheap  brass  rings  and 
bracelets  of  the  same  metal.  The  one  article  of 
sale  offered  to  the  traveler  by  these  tribes  is  the 
polished  horns  of  the  butfalo,  picked  up  upon  the 
vast  prairies  of  this  region  where  they  have  been 
bleaching  for  many  years.  These  are  colored 
black  by  some  process,  and  when  highly  polished 
are  monnted  in  pairs,  as  they  are  placed  by  nature 
on  the  animal's  head. 

At  Regina,  eleven  linndred  miles  from  Vancou- 
ver, we  are  still  two  tliousand  feet  aliove  the  sea. 
This  is  tlie  capital  of  the  Province  of  Assiniboia, 
situated  in  the  centre  of  an  almost  iioundless 
plain.  Here  are  the  headquarters  of  the  North- 
western Mounted  Police,  a  very  necessary  military 
organization  of  a  thousand  men,  distributed  over 
this  region  to  look  after  the  Indians,  who  are  ever 
ready  to  commit  depredations  when  they  feel  they 
can  do  so  with  impunity,  and  also  to  preserve  good 
order  generally  among  the  several  frontier  com- 
munities. It  was  at  Regina  that  Louis  Riel,  the 
jM'incipal  promoter  of  the  late  rebellion  against 
the  Dominion  government,  was  tried  and  hanged 

■"'"'■'""•■""•""""•"•■■'"I 


BLACKFEET  INDIANS.  347 

rebellion."  Over  the  far-reacliing,  trackless,  arid 
prairies,  as  lonely  as  an  Egyptian  desert,  the  cloud 
effects  towards  tlie  day's  close  are  noticeably  very 
fine,  while  the  twilight  lingers  to  the  very  verge 
of  night.  At  times  we  pass  through  a  broad  tract 
of  land  ten  miles  or  more  square,  from  wliicli  a 
whole  forest  has  been  swept  by  conflagration, 
probably  started  by  an  unfortunate  spark  from  a 
passing  locomotive,  or,  quite  as  likely,  by  the  care- 
lessness of  some  camping  party  of  sportsmen. 
These  large  spaces,  which  would  otherwise  be  in- 
tensely dreary,  are  already  carpeted  with  a  fresh 
green  undei'growth,  with  which  nature  always  has- 
tens to  obliterate  the  devastation  caused  by  the 
ruthless  flames. 

As  our  train  stopped  briefly  at  Regiiia  a  gioup 
of  mounted  Blackfeet  Indians  dashed  across  the 
prairie  and  drew  up  near  the  station.  A  wild, 
weird  score  of  semi-savages,  very  picturesque  in 
their  garments  of  many  colors  and  their  decora- 
tions of  quills,  beads,  and  feathers,  with  a  sralp 
hanging  from  the  waist  here  and  there  among 
them.  Their  long,  unkempt  black  hair  flowed  all 
about  their  necks  and  features,  which  were  more 
or  less  besmeared  with  vermilion.  Their  leggings 
of  deer-hide  were  fringed  on  the  outer  side,  and 
their  leather  moccasins  were  lashed  with  deerskin 
thongs  up  the  ankles.  Some  had  stirrups,  but 
most  of  them  had  none,  their  limbs  hanging  free 
and  a  blanket  serving  for  a  sad<lle.  Tiieir  little 
wiry  ponies  were  under  complete  control,  and 
the  riders  were  good  horsemen.     It  seemed  to  be 


348  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

some  gala  occasion  witli  tliese  Blackfeet,  but  of 
what  purport  it  was  impossible  to  discover.  They 
were  evidently  under  a  certain  degree  of  disci- 
pline, for  at  a  sharp,  sudden  command  from  one 
of  tiieir  number  they  all  dismounted  together  and 
stood  with  one  arm  over  their  horses'  necks  like 
so  many  stone  statues.  At  that  moment  a  lady 
passenger  in  our  car  aimed  her  "  kodak"  at  them, 
and,  presto !  they  were  photographed  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye,  which,  considering  their  aver- 
sion to  the  process,  was  quite  an  achievement  on 
the  lady's  part.  These  Indians  are  now  peacea- 
ble enough,  and  no  one  fears  to  go  among  them, 
but  we  are  inclined  to  think,  with  "BulTalo  Bill," 
that  they  will  make  one  more  desperate  fight,  in 
both  Canada  and  the  States,  before  they  finally 
give  up  the  struggle  with  the  white  man. 

Forty  miles  eastward  from  Regina  we  come  to 
Indian  Head,  which  is  about  three  hundred  miles 
west  of  Winnipeg,  where  the  road  passes  through 
the  famous  Bell  Farm,  an  extremely  interesting 
and  successful  agricultural  enterprise.  It  is  man- 
aged by  j\Iajor  Bell,  an  ex-army  officer  of  marked 
executive  ability,  and  covers  an  area  mt^asuiing 
one  hundred  square  miles,  being  probably  the 
largest  arable  farm  in  the  world.  Major  Bell  car- 
ries on  the  busin»»ss  for  an  incorporated  company, 
and  devotes  the  rich  prairie  loam,  of  which  the 
soil  is  composed,  mostly  to  the  raising  of  wheat, 
<'mploying  in  the  various  departments  over  two 
hundred  men.  The  announced  object  of  the  com- 
pany is  first  to  bring  the  whole  of  the  land  under 


I 


WINNIPEG.  349 

good  cultivation,  at  the  rate  of  five  thousand  acres 
or  more  annually,  and  when  this  is  accomplished 
to  divide  the  whole  into  two  hundred  and  fifty 
farms  to  be  sold  to  the  emploj-ees,  each  provided 
with  suitable  dwelling-houses  and  buildings,  all  to 
be  paid  for  by  the  purchasers  in  easy  annual  in- 
stalhnents ;  a  most  beneficial  purpose,  and  if  it  is 
fairly  and  honorably  carried  out  it  will  be  one 
which  is  deserving  of  all  praise.  It  must  inevita- 
bly build  up  a  responsible  and  self-respecting  com- 
munity, by  uniting  proprietorship  and  domestic 
relations  of  the  most  desirable  character,  connected 
with  steady  and  remunerative  occupation. 

The  country  lying  between  Indian  Head  and 
Winnipeg  is  mostly  of  a  prairie  character,  rich  in 
agricultural  resources  but  of  no  special  interest 
otherwise.  Winnipeg,  the  capital  of  Manitoba, 
is  very  neai'ly  midway  between  the  Atlantic  and 
Pacific  oceans.  It  has  some  twenty -three  thou- 
sand inhabitants,  who  live  upon  a  site  wliich  was 
fifteen  years  ago  known  as  Fort  Garry,  only  a  fur- 
trading  station,  said  to  be  hundreds  of  miles  from 
anywiiere.  To-day  it  has  long,  broad  streets  of 
public  buildings,  fine  dwelling-houses,  hotels, 
stores,  banks,  and  theatres,  besides  large  manu- 
factories in  various  branches  of  trade.  It  is  the 
Chicago  of  Canada.  Situated  where  the  forests 
end  and  the  prairies  begin,  with  river  navigation 
in  all  directions,  and  with  railways  radiating  from 
it  towards  all  points  of  the  compass,  everything 
tends  to  make  Winnipeg  the  commercial  metrop- 
olis of  the  British  possessions  in  the  Northwest. 


350  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

Main  Street,  Winnipeg,  is  a  fine  boulevard  one 
hundred  feet  wide  and  two  miles  long,  lined  from 
end  to  end  with  attractive  buildings.  One  prac- 
tice observed  here  recalled  the  native  city  of  Jey- 
poor,  India,  namely,  the  driving  of  single  oxen  to 
harness  between  the  shafts  of  light  carts,  the  ani- 
mal being  guided  by  rope  reins  attached  to  the 
horns. 

From  Winnipeg  to  Port  Arthur,  which  is  beau- 
tifully situated  on  the  north  side  of  Lake  Supe- 
rior, the  route  is  through  a  country  characterized 
by  a  maze  of  forests,  lakes,  and  rivers  ;  a  region 
more  than  half  wilderness.  Few  evidences  of  civ- 
ilization are  found  hereabouts  ;  the  primeval  for- 
est is  full  of  game,  the  streams  abound  in  fish,  and 
the  ponds  are  covered  with  wild  fowl.  Occasion- 
ally a  group  of  Indian  wigwams  is  seen,  or  a 
lone  native  Chippeway  paddling  his  birch  canoe. 
Now  and  again  a  hunter's  camp  is  passed,  whose 
occupants  come  down  to  the  railway  to  see  the 
passing  train,  and  who  eagerly  seize  upon  any 
current  newspaper  which  thoughtful  passengers 
toss  to  them  from  the  car  windows,  a  courtesy 
they  gratefully  acknowledge  cap  in  hand. 

Port  Arthur,  just  one  thousand  miles  from 
Montreal,  is  admirably  situated  on  Thunder  Bay, 
where  the  view  is  striking  and  beautiful,  over- 
looked by  the  bold  headland  known  as  Thunder 
Cape,  which  rises  fourteen  hundred  feet  above 
the  surface  of  the  lake.  Just  upon  the  edge  of 
the  horizon  is  seen  Silver  Islet,  which  has  hereto- 
fore proven  to  be  one  of   the  richest  silver  mines 


THE  DISTANCE   TRAVELED.  361 

known  to  our  times  ;  but  the  mine  is  now  hojie- 
lessly  submerged,  its  tunnels  and  shafts  flooded 
beyond  relief  by  the  waters  of  Lake  Sufjerior. 
These  broad  waters  are  dotted  with  white  sails, 
and  streaked  with  the  long  black  lines  of  smoke 
trailing  after  huge  steamers. 

From  here,  for  more  than  one  hundred  miles, 
the  sharp  curves  of  the  great  lake  on  its  noithern 
shore  are  closely  followed  by  the  Canadian  Pacific 
Railway,  and  here  the  engineer's  skill  has  been 
wonderfully  displayed  in  surmounting  apparent 
impossibilities.  We  were  told  that  it  cost  more 
per  mile  to  build  this  portion  of  the  road  than  it 
did  to  lay  the  rails  through  an  equal  distance  in 
the  difficult  passes  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  The 
roadway  is  sometimes  cut  through  solid  rock,  and 
sometimes  an  abiupt  cliff  is  tunneled,  from  wlu'iice 
we  emerge  to  leap  across  a  deep  ravine  upon  a 
wooden  trestle  of  frightful  curve  and  great  eleva- 
tion. And  so  we  rush  onwartl  through  unbroken 
forests  and  scenery  of  wildest  aspect  among  barren 
rocks,  scorched  trees,  and  dense  thickets  of  scrub 
on  our  homeward  way. 

Having  thus  brought  the  patient  reader  so 
nearly  back  to  the  starting-point,  and  among 
scenes  so  familiar,  we  leave  him  to  finish  the 
journey  to  Boston  by  way  of  Ottawa  and  ]\Ion- 
treal. 

The  distance  traveled  in  making  this  round 
trip  to  Alaska  and  back,  over  the  course  pursued 
by  the  author,  is  something  over  ten  thousand 
miles,  but    when    successfully  constmimated  it  is 


352  THE  NEW  ELDORADO. 

difficult  to  realize  that  such  a  long  route  has  been 
passed  over.  Great  are  the  modern  facilities  for 
travel,  and  great  are  the  inducements.  It  is  the 
only  royal  road  to  learning,  the  kindergarten  of 
ripened  intelligence,  so  to  speak.  We  recall 
nothing  of  the  fatigue  or  the  inevitable  mishaps 
of  the  journey.  It  is  the  charming  experiences 
alone  which  beeome  indelible.  We  behold  again 
the  many  populous  cities  through  which  the  route 
has  taken  us,  and  see  once  more  in  imagination 
the  active  villages,  peculiar  races  of  people,  graz- 
ing herds,  rushing  cascades,  sombre  gorges,  mys- 
terious geysers,  snowy  mountain  ranges,  uncouth 
totem-poles,  myriads  of  icebergs,  and  mammoth 
glaciers.  To  look  back  upon  the  experiences  of 
the  journey  as  a  whole  is  like  recalling  a  midsum- 
mer night's  dream,  replete  with  delightful  scenery 
and  crowded  with  wonderful  phenomena. 


INDEX 


Aboriginal  dwelHngs,  258. 
Admiralty  Island,  267. 
Alaska  a  bonanza,  13^. 

climate  of,  173. 

colonizing,  115,  116, 

fashions,  250. 

forests  of,  145,  189,  190. 

interior  of,  130. 

mastodons  iu,  259,  260. 

pork,  IGl. 

purchase  of,  138. 

temperance  in,  175. 

Territory,  112,  114,  135t 

value  of,  141,  142. 

winter  in,  169. 
Alaskan  aborigines,  172. 
Alaskans,  education  among  the,  240. 

honest,  129. 

intelligence  of  the,  239. 
Aleutian  Islands,  the,  100, 117. 
Aleuts,  the,  IGl. 

Alexander  Arcliipelago,  189,  236,  325. 
American  Desert,  4. 
Animals,  wild,  51' 
Atagnak,  124. 
Atkha,  170. 
Attoo,  117, 120,  170. 
Avarice  among  the  Indians,  233. 

Badlands,  11. 
Banff,  340. 
Bats'  Cave,  24. 
Bears.  193. 
Behriiig  Sea,  133, 
Bethel,  134. 
Birds,  167. 
Bismarck,  10. 
Blackfeet  Indians,  347. 
Bozeman,  57. 
British  Columbia,  89. 
Butte,  2,  GO. 

Calvert  Island,  107. 
Canadian  Pacific  Railway,  333. 
Canning  establishments,  148,  274. 
Canoes,  native,  209. 
Canvas-back  ducks,  168. 
Carroll,  Captain,  109,  276. 
Carving,  extraordinary,  200. 
Cassiar  gold  mines,  235. 


Cedar,  yellow,  146. 

Chilcats,  269. 

Chinese,  184. 

Cleanliness,  want  of,  1!K. 

Climate  of  Alaska,  the,  173. 

Consumption  among  the  aborigines, 

1G2. 
Cook's  Inlet,  114,  127,  267. 
Corona,  109_,  279. 
Cowboys,  65. 
Cremation,  203,  213. 
Cross  Siouud,  189. 

Dakota,  9. 

Davidson  glacier,  268. 

Devil-fish,  244. 

Diomedes,  the,  133. 

Dixon  Entrance,  110,  186,  189. 

Doughis  Island,  2G3,  264. 

Driftwood,  121. 

Duncan,  liev.  Mr.,  110. 

Eagles  and  cormorants,  212. 
Echoes,  nio.Tntain,  iir7. 
Eden  of  tlie  North,  the,  5. 
Education  an>on(;  the  Al.iskang,  240. 
Eldorado,  Tlie  New,  112,  2f>6. 
Embellishments,  female,  251. 
Eskimo  skin-boata,  211. 

village,  132. 
Eskimos,  129,  131,  178,  179,  216. 

home  of  the,  217. 
Esquimalt,  86,  87. 

Fairweather,  Mount,  98,  279. 
Fish-canning,  191,  192. 
Fisheries,  148. 

Forests  of  Alaska,  145,  189,  190. 
Fort  Tongas,  110,  147. 

Wrangel,  222,  228,  232. 

Yukon,  177. 
Foxes,  blue,  122. 
Funeral  customs,  202. 
Fur-bearing  animals,  149. 
Fur  preserve,  139. 
Fur-seals,  150,  155. 
Fur-trade,  171. 

Gambling,  199. 
Garnets,  a  ledge  of,  237. 


354 


INDEX. 


Gastineau  Channel,  247. 

Georgia,  Gulf  of,  94,  105. 

Geysers,  actiou  of  the,  45. 

Giant's  Tliumb,  tlie,  23. 

Girls'  Scliool  at  Fort  Wrangel,  225. 

Glacier  Bay,  275,  270. 

Glass  road,  a,  29. 

Gold  fields,  218,  248,  264. 

mines,  184,  235,  2t>3,  267. 

mining,  203. 
Gona-birds,  107. 
Grain  fields,  9. 
Grand  CaSou,  25. 
Graveyards,  213. 
Greek  chapels,  128. 

HaUbut  fishing,  285. 

Helena,  58. 

Hell's  Half  Acre,  40. 

Hoonah  Mission,  225,  226. 

Hooniah  tribe,  288. 

Hot  springs  of  New  Zealand,  17. 

Idols,  227. 
lujmigr.ition,  71. 
Indian  aptitude,  271. 

fasliions,  195. 

Girls'  Home,  229. 
Indians,  American,  C2. 

avarice  among  the.Alaekan,  233. 

Blackfeet,  347. 

governing  the,  224. 

the  Sheep-eating,  32. 
Industrial  School,  the  Sitka,  306-308. 
Infanticide,  255. 
Inland  Sea,  the,  97. 
Inspiration  Point,  27. 

Jackson,  Dr.  Sheldon,  174. 

Jade  Mountain,  217. 

Japanese  current,  the,  176,  262,  301. 

junk,  118. 
•Tewelrv,  native,  220. 
Juneau,  107,  201,  249,  261. 

Kakny  River,  127. 
Kasa-an  Bay,  191. 
Kpnnicott,  Major,  168. 
King's  Island,  133. 
Kismet,  130. 
Kndiak,  114,  124. 
Kootznahoo,  321. 
Kotzebue  Sound,  217. 
Kowak  River,  217. 
Kuskoquin  River,  134. 

La  Perouse,  Mount,  279. 
Land  of  wonders,  283. 
Liberty  Cap,  the,  22. 
Livingston,  14. 
Lumber  business,  the,  77,  147. 

Marriage  customs,  Yukon,  221. 
M^todons  in  Alaska,  259,  260. 
MetU-katla,  110. 


Metla-katla,  New,  111. 

Microscope,  a,  for  use  on  shipboard, 

luO. 
Mineral  deposits,  289. 
Minnesota,  9,  01. 
Missionaries  in  Alaska,  134,  229,  267, 

315. 
Montana,  12,  02, 
Mosquitoes,  241. 
Mount  Crillon,  279. 

Fairweather,  98,  279. 

La  Perouse,  279. 

St.  Elias,  99. 

Tacoma,  73,  81. 

W.asliingtou,  53. 
Muir  glacier,  270,  280,  281. 
Mullan  Tunnel,  59. 
Mummies,  118,  130, 

Nanaimo,  103. 

Native  artists,  125,  227. 

canoes,  209. 

occupations,  194,  201,  269. 

piety,  129. 

race,  decay  of  the,  205. 

rehgion,  178. 
Natives,  dense  ignorance  of  the,  201. 

of  Vancouver,  90,  92. 

origin  of  tlie  Al.aska,  215. 
Nature  alone  antique,  187. 
New  Metla-katha,  111. 
New  Zealand,  hot  springs  of,  17. 
Night-ride  on  an  engine,  7. 
Northern  liglits,  178. 
Norton  Sound,  121. 

Ob.sidian  cliffs,  29. 
Ornaments  of  women,  200. 
Otter-hunting,  mj-stery  of,  166. 

Paint  Pot  Basin,  37. 
P.atterson  glacier,  244. 
Point  Barrow,  131. 
Polar  Sea,  the,  132. 
Political  condition  of  Alaska,  327. 
Polvpanious  wives,  2.57. 
Port  Townsend,  81,  82,  83. 
Potlatch,  203,  204. 
Prairie  schooners,  67. 
Prybiloff  group,  tlie,  139. 
Puget  Sound,  74. 

Pyramid   Harbor,  148,  211,  220,  268, 
272. 

Queen  Charlotte  Island,  96,  227. 

Religion,  native,  178. 

Rocky  Mountains,  climbing  the,  13. 

Salmon,  192. 

preserved,  144. 
San  Juan,  95. 

Soliools,  225,  231,  300-308. 
Sridmore  Island,  283. 
Sea-cow,  the,  150. 


INDEX. 


355 


Seal  islands,  151, 153. 

Seals,  enormous  slaughter  of,  159. 

tood  of  the,  157. 

fur,  150,  155. 

habits  of  the,  155. 

hair,  1G9. 

killing,  157,  159. 

young,  155,  150. 
Sea-otters,  hunting,  165. 
Sea-otter  trade,  120,  163. 
Seattle,  79. 

Seward's  purchase,  141. 
Seymour  Narrows,  102. 
Slieep-eaters,  the,  32. 
Siberian  cattle,  122. 
Silver  Bow  Basin,  184,  265. 
Silver  mining,  CO. 
Sitka,  111,  174,  230,  295,  311. 

Industrial  Scliool,  the,  306-308. 

pine-trees,  146. 
Slaves,  255. 
Snow-slides,  188. 
Spokane  Falls,  09. 
St.  Paul,  2,  3. 
Stampede  Tunnel,  72. 
Steamboating,  perfection  of,  108. 
Stickeen  River,  235,  237. 
Superstitions  of  the  natives,  201,  238. 

Tacoma,  73,  75, 76. 
Takou  Inlet,  246,  247. 
Tattooing,  196,  227. 
Temperance  ui  Alaska,  175. 
Terra  incognita,  a,  137. 
Terrace-building  springs,  17. 
Texada,  101. 
Timber  supply,  145. 
Totem-poles,  194,  2l3,  228. 
Touring  dress,  329. 
Tourists,  97. 


Travel,  luxury  of,  6. 

Treadwfcll  gold  mines,  184,  263,  267. 

Trees,  immense,  145. 

Tribes,  the  inl.md,  183. 

various  Indian,  214,  215. 
Trickery  of  the  Cliilcats,  270. 

Uualaska,  123,  135. 
Unga,  125. 
Unimak,  117. 

Vaccination,  252. 
Vancouver,  84,  93,  331. 
Victoria,  84,  85. 
Virgin  soil,  190. 
Volcanic  power,  35. 
Volcanoes,  135. 

Wards  of  tlie  government,  63. 
Washburn,  Governor,  55. 
Washington,  State  of,  69. 
W.aterfalls,  188. 
Whales,  lOl!. 

dead,  119. 
Wheat-growing,  70. 
Wliiskey,  203. 
Winnipeg,  349. 
Winter  in  Alaska.  169. 
Wives,  polygamous,  257. 
Women,  influence  of  the  Alaskan,  207. 

ornaments  of,  200. 
Wonders,  a  land  of,  283. 
Wrangel,  170, 229,  237. 

Yellow.stone,  aborigines  of  the,  31. 

Lake,  47-49. 

Park   ]  5. 
Yukon  River,  121,  134,  168,  180,  185, 

242. 
Yukon  VaUey,  ISO,  220. 


BOOKS  BY  MATURIN  M.  BALLOU. 


AZTEC   LAND.     A  New  Book.     Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

This  fresh  book  of  travel,  while  extremely  interesting 
as  regards  the  present  aspect  of  Mexico,  also  tells  some 
homely  truths  about  the  exaggerations  of  the  Spanish 
chroniclers. 

ALASKA.  THE  NEW  ELDORADO.  A  Summer 
Journey  to  Alaska.  Crown  8vo,  $1.50.  Tourists 
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A  charming  book  of  travel,  full  of  information  concerning  our 
great  northwestern  territory.  Few  persons  are  aware  of  the  ex- 
tent and  richness  of  Alaska.  —  Boston  Budget. 

DUE  WEST;  or,  Round  the  World  ix  Tex  Moxths. 
Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

It  is  a  hook  of  books  on  foreign  travel,  and  deserves  to  be  in 
the  hands  of  all  subsequent  writers  as  combining  just  the  quali- 
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Full  of  information  concerning  the  Bahama  Islands,  the  Car- 
ibbean Sea,  and  the  island  of  Cuba.  Of  the  finest  and  most 
extensive  culture,  Mr.  Ballou  is  the  ideal  traveler.  —  Boston 
Ti'avdle7'. 

DUE  NORTH;  or.  Glimpses  of  Scaxdixavla.  axd 
Russia.    Crown  Svo,  $1.50. 

The  author  has  the  tact  to  travel  without  an  object ;  he  strolls. 
He  sees  things  accidentally;  you  feel  that  you  might  have  seen 
the  same  things,  under  the  same  circumstances.  He  never  lec- 
tures ;  rarely  theorizes.  It  is  as  useful  to  read  him  as  it  is  enjoy- 
able to  travel  with  him.  —  Joitrnat  of  Education  (Boston). 

UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS;  or.  Travels  ix 
Australasia.     Crown  Svo,  $1.50. 

Few  persons  have  traveled  so  extensively,  and  no  one  more 
profitably,  both  to  himself  and  the  public,  than  Mr.  Ballou. — 
Edwin  P.  Whipple. 

rOVBR.] 


EDITED  BY  MR.  BALLOU, 


A  TREASURY  OF  THOUGHT.  An  Encyclopsedia  of 
Quotations  from  Ancient  and  Modern  Authors.  8vo, 
full  gilt,  $3.50 ;  half  calf  or  half  morocco,  $6.00. 

The  most  complete  and  e.xhaustive  volume  of  the  kind  with 
which  we  are  acquainted.  The  literature  of  all  times  has  con- 
tributed to  it,  and  the  range  of  reading  necessary  to  its  compila- 
tion is  the  widest.  —  Hartford  Cotiraiit. 

NOTABLE  THOUGHTS  ABOUT  WOMEN.  A  Lit- 
erary Mosaic.     Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

Full  of  delicious  bits  from  nearly  every  writer  of  any  celebrity, 
English,  American,  French,  or  German,  early  and  modern,  it  is 
a  fascinating  medley.  When  one  takes  up  the  book  it  is  difficult 
to  lay  it  down,  for  one  is  led  on  from  one  brilliant  or  striking 
thought  to  another,  in  a  way  that  is  quite  absorbing.  —  Portlcmd 
Transcript. 

PEARLS  OF  THOUGHT.    Choice  Sentences  from  the 
Wisest  Authors.     i6mo,  full  gilt,  $1.25  ;  half  morocco, 
$2.50. 
The  first  noticeable  thing  about  "  Pearls  of  Thought "  is  that 

the  "pearls"  are  offered  in  a  jewel-box  of  printing  and  binding. 

The  selections  have  the   merit  of  being  short  and  sparkling. 

Authors  ancient  and  modern,  and  of  all  nations,  are  represented. 

—  New  York  T7-Uniiie. 

EDGE-TOOLS  OF  SPEECH.     Crown  8vo,  $3.50;  half 

calf  or  half  morocco,  $6.00. 

A  remarkable  compilation  of  brilliant  and  wise  sayings  from 
more  than  a  thousand  various  sources,  embracing  all  the  notable 
authors,  classic  and  modern,  who  have  enriched  the  pages  of 
history  and  literature.  It  might  be  termed  a  whole  library  in 
one  volume.  —  Boston  Beacon. 

GENIUS  IN  SUNSHINE  AND   SHADOW.     Crown 

8vo,  $1.50. 

Mr.  Ballou  displays  a  broad  and  thorough  knowledge  of  men 
of  genius  in  all  ages,  and  the  comprehensive  index  makes  the 
volume  invaluable  as  a  book  of  reference,  while  —  a  rare  thing 
in  reference  books  —  it  is  thoroughly  interesting  for  consecutive 
reading. —  The  yournalist  (New  York). 

%•  For  sale  by  all  Booksellers.  Sent,  post-paid,  on  receipt  of  P>rice  by  tlie 
Publishers, 

HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND   COMPANY, 
4  Park  St.,  Boston  ;  ir  East  i-jth  St.,  New  York. 


GUIDE  BOOKS. 


DICTIONARY  OF  BOSTON.  By  Edwin  M.  Ba- 
con. New  Edition,  revised.  With  Introduction 
by  George  E.  Ellis,  D.  D.,  and  Map.  12 mo,  flex- 
ible cloth,  $1.50  ;  boards,  ^i-oo. 

One  caniiDt  conceive  of  a  more  handy  book  of  its  kind.  For  a  long  time 
just  S'.ich  a  compendious  volume,  witli  just  sucli  concisely  snd  autlioritalively 
writien  articles,  his  been  needed.  ...  It  is  a  cyclopaedia  of  the  Boston  of 
to-day,  interes  ing  and  necessary  to  every  Boftonian.  —  Boston  Advt-rtiser. 

BOSTON  ILLUSTRATED.  An  Artistic  and  Picto- 
rial Description  of  Boston  and  its  Surroundings. 
Containing  full  descriptions  of  the  City  and  its  im- 
mediate Suburbs,  Harbor,  and  Islands,  etc.,  with 
numerous  Historical  Allusions.  New  Edition,  by 
Edw.-\rd  M.  Bacon,  revised  to  date,  and  containing 
additional  Illustrations  and  Map.  i2mo,  paper,  50 
cents. 

Th '-  aim  has  been  to  present  much  information  in  small  compass  ;  to  make 
a  ready  reference  book  as  well  as  a  handy  pocket  guide. 

SATCHEL  GUIDE.  For  the  Vacation  Tourist  in 
Europe.  Annual  Edition,  revised  to  date,  with 
additions,  and  printed  from  new  Plates.  A  com- 
pact Itinerary  of  the  British  Isles,  Belgium,  and 
Holland,  Germany  and  the  Rhine,  Switzerland, 
France,  Austria,  and  Italy.  With  Mnps  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland,  Continental  Europe,  Switzer- 
land, Street  Plans  of  London  and  Paris,  Tables  of 
the  Comparative  Values  of  United  States  and  Euro- 
pean Moneys,  a  Traveler's  Calendar  of  Ecclesias- 
tical and  Popular  Festivals,  Fairs,  etc.  i6mo,  roan, 
flexible,  $1.50,  net. 

The  book  is  indeed  a  model  of  perspicacity  and  brevity:  all  the  advice  it 
gives  will  be  found  of  immediate  service.  'I'he  "  Satchel  Guide"  tells  the 
tQ2.AQX  hoiv  to  travel  cheaply  without  a  sacrifice  of  comfort,  and  this  feature 
of  the  book  will  recommend  it  to  many  tourists.  —  Pall  Afill  Gazette. 

LITERARY  LANDMARKS  OF  LONDON.  By 
Laurence  HuTTON.  i2mo,  $1.50.  Popular  Edi- 
tion, revised  and  enlarged.    i6mo,  flexible,  75  cents. 

A  volume  of  extraordinary  accuracy  and  deep  interest.  .  .  .  It  will  long  re- 
main the  standard  work  on  the  subject.  —  T!ie  Graphic  (London). 


HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND   COMPANY, 

4  Park  St.,  Boston  y  11  East  17th  St.,  New  York. 


GUIDE  BOOKS, 


NEW  EXGLAXD.  A  Handbook  for  Travelers, 
A  Guide  to  the  Chief  Cities  and  Popular  Resorts 
of  New  England,  and  to  its  Scener}-  .ind  Historic 
Attractions.  With  the  Western  and  Northern  Bor- 
ders from  New  York  to  Quebec,  With  6  Maps 
and  II  Plans.  Twelfth  Edition,  revised  and  en- 
larged annually.     i6mo.  $1.50. 

It  is  a  snaQ  cocnpact  voi'tcBEw. -.  >  ■    ■  -      v 

comrfrrfiryd,  and  smctt  illustrauors    <  . 

tooiBt.     It  ssaomirahlr  put  tog, .  ,- 

•wlio  vri^tes  to  know  ■•liac  to  see  auc.  vvho.;  hi  is  stt<iu.^.  —  Kiv.'lj:.  rsins,  la 
Xeoi  Ymrk  OksBrwcr. 

THE  WHITE  MOUNTAINS.  A  Handbook  for 
Travelers.  A  Guide  to  the  Peaks,  Passes,  and 
Ra\-ines  of  the  White  Mountains  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  to  the  Adjacent  Railioads,  Highways, 
and  Villages  ;  with  the  Lakes  and  Mountains  of 
Western  Maine,  also  Lake  Winnepesaukee  and  the 
Upper  Connecticut  Valley.  With  6  Maps  and  6 
Panoramas,  including  the  new  Appalachian  Club 
Map.  Tenth  Edition,  revised  and  enlarged  annu- 
ally.    i6mo.  $1.50. 

Wo«hy  of  rank  with  the  best  books  of  its  kind.  It  is  complete  tixA  exhaus- 
tive,  its  infcrmation  is  exact,  srd  its  maps  are  vt>lujninous.  It  is  not  only  a 
good  thing  for  a  satchel,  but  deseives  a  place  in  the  Hbrarv.  —  Ottthtg  (.New 
YfHk). 

THE  MARITIME  PROVINCES,  A  Handbook 
for  Travelers,  A  Guide  to  the  Chief  Cities.  Coasts, 
and  Islands  of  the  Maritime  Provinces  of  Canada, 
and  to  their  Scener}and  Historic  .Attractions  ;  with 
the  Gulf  and  River  of  St.  Lawrence  to  Quebec  and 
Montreal  ;  also,  Newfoundland,  and  the  Labrador 
Coast.  With  4  Maps  and  4  Plans.  Seventh  Edi- 
tion, revised  and  enlarged  annually.     i6mo,  $1.50. 

By  its  intrinsic  value,  copiousness  of  information,  and  inipariiality  it  is 
Ekely  to  take  the  place  of  all  other  guides  or  hand-books  if  Car.ada  »htch  we 
know  of.  — Quebfc  Ckronicle. 

Vou  should  takeasood  gtiide-book  (Sweetser's  Maritime  Provinces  is  by 
far  ihe  best  —  comainins  r:-Vry:king-  about  the  ^•arious  parts  of  the  Provinces). 
—  British  ArruricaH  Citiz^re. 


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4  Park  St.,  Boston;  ii  East  17th  St.,  New  York. 


1o5 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
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